The Lover, Portrait of Paul - Eugene Milliet by Vincent van Gogh

The Lover, Portrait of Paul - Eugene Milliet - Vincent van Gogh - Oil Painting

About This Piece

For collectors searching portrait oil painting, The Lover, Portrait of Paul - Eugene Milliet is a dependable choice. Painted in layered oils on canvas after Vincent van Gogh, this post-impressionist work reads equally well as classic canvas wall art and as a thoughtful housewarming gift.

Composition & Subject

Portrait of Lieutanant Milliet

1888
Oil on canvas
Kroller-Muller Museum, Otterlo, Netherlands.

Paul-Eugène Milliet is a second lieutenant in a Zouave regiment of the French army (this is indicated by the moon and star in the top right corner). In Arles he is Vincent’s painting and drinking companion. He takes drawing lessons from the artist for some time and accompanies him on his painting trips. Van Gogh, whose contact with women is awkward, admires the lieutenant for his amorous escapades. With some self-irony he confesses to Theo: ‘Milliet’s lucky, he has all the Arlésiennes he wants, but there you are, he can’t paint them, and if he was a painter he wouldn’t have any.’ In this portrait he depicts him as the prototype of a lover. The face is made up of loose, thin brushstrokes, while the background is applied with broad, thick strokes. The hat, then again, is painted thinly and evenly. The colours are also contrasting. Van Gogh writes that Milliet is not very good at sitting as a model, but that he is satisfied with ‘his face with its pale, matt complexion, the red képi against an emerald background’.

Collectors often choose this figurative image when searching for portrait oil painting that feels substantial rather than decorative or disposable.

Materials & Craftsmanship

We use a 100% hand-painted process: stretched artist-grade canvas, layered oil pigment, and a final protective varnish. There are no inkjet prints or mechanical reproductions in this collection — just a painted figurative artwork made to order.

What Is Included

• A true oil-on-canvas painting produced manually by our artists — not a mass-produced print.
• Edges include an additional 2-inch blank allowance, ideal for gallery wrapping or framing.
• No middlemen — we ship directly to you worldwide.
• Quick turnaround — most in-stock figurative paintings ship in 3–10 working days.
• Available canvas sizes for this hand painted oil painting: 20 X 24 in, 24 X 36 in, 30 X 40 in, 36 X 48 in, 48 X 72 in.
• Any size you need can be produced — just tell us your preferred dimensions.
• Multiple low-cost carriers available, including DHL, UPS, FedEx and USPS.
• No-cost gallery stretching on wood bars, plus optional made-to-order framing.
• Before dispatch we email a digital proof so you can approve the finished canvas.

Where to Hang It

Build a dining room gallery wall around this portrait oil painting, or let it stand alone as a single statement. The hand painted canvas finish keeps the figurative composition looking intentional in both classic and contemporary rooms.

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