This, the last of Van Gogh's self-portraits and one of the greatest, was painted only months before his death. The compulsive, restless all over ornament of the background, recalling the work of mental patients, is for some physicians evidence that the painting was done in a psychotic state. But the self-image of the painter shows a masterly control and power of observation, a mind perfectly capable of integrating the elements of its chosen activity. The background reminds us of the rhythms of The Starry Night.