The painting is made up of a variety of brushstrokes. Milliets face is depicted in individual narrow strokes of light-yellow paint, which create volume, while the red paint of his cap is applied more thinly and evenly. The emerald-green background is rendered in powerful, broad brushstrokes. You can see the structure of the brush. A few thick layers of blue paint are used to indicate shadow, giving the background a lively character. There is not only a contrast in the brush marks, but also in the colours. Van Gogh wrote to Theo that Milliet was not an easy model, but that he was pleased with ‘his face with its pale, matt complexion, the red képi against an emerald background.’
Press A for information about Van Gogh’s painting technique, or press B for information about the painting’s title.