After several months in the asylum at Saint‑Rémy, Van Gogh was extremely anxious to return to the countryside and his friends in the north. He explained this in a letter to his brother Theo, expressing a desire to stay with his friend Pissarro, but no clear plan. His mental state was obviously unstable, even more so than on his admission to the asylum, wavering between lucidity and madness.
Pissarro’s wife was opposed to the idea of Van Gogh staying with them. Theo and Pissarro suggested he move to the town of Auvers-sur-Oise to live under the care of Dr. Gachet, a friend of the Impressionist painters.
Van Gogh believed that this self-portrait, one of several painted around this time, portrayed him as “calm” though “vague.” His face exudes anxiety and turmoil.