Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat (obverse: The Potato Peeler)

Van Gogh's story is widely retold as the classic "struggling artist" tale. Spending much of his adult life in poverty, he painted this self-portrait from a mirror he bought because he couldn't afford to hire models. This may explain the dozens of self-portraits he created during his life as well as his extensive depiction of his impoverished neighbors who would sit for free. Not surprisingly, Van Gogh re-used canvasses as well. The above self-portrait is painted on the back of a painting called "The Potato Peeler".