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Why is the injured ear shown on the opposite side in Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear?
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Vincent van Gogh
Self-Portrait, oil on artist's board on cradled panel by Vincent van Gogh, 1887; in the Art Institute of Chicago.
The appearance of the injured ear on the opposite side in Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear is due to the fact that Vincent van Gogh painted the work as a mirror image.1
When painting his own likeness, van Gogh used a mirror to view himself, which resulted in the reflection of his left ear—the one he had actually lacerated—appearing on the right side of the canvas.12