The self-portraits of Vincent Van Gogh are examined in the context of his tragic life experience, ending in psychosis & suicide. The self-portraits are seen as repeated & unresolved efforts at self exploration & self-definition in an attempt to add a sense of continuity & cohesion to a fragile & fragmented self-experience. The portraits are painted in mirror perspective; Vincent’s search for identity is thus seen as mediated by the dynamics of the mirroring phenomena. (25 references).