Van Gogh painted this portrait in January 1889, after the first episode of his mental disorder. Felix Rey, shown in the painting, was a resident at the hospital in Arles where Van Gogh was a patient. The artist mentioned his work on this portrait many times in letters to his brother Theo. According to contemporaries, the portrait was a very precise depiction. Interestingly, for a long time this painting was considered to be a portrait of an unknown man and bore the title “Portrait of a Man.” However, comparison with a photograph of Felix Rey revealed the unbelievable similarity with the model, which helped to attribute the painting correctly. The simplicity of the composition and the bright colors helped the master display his model’s main features, the “vital kernel” of his image. This is not a psychological portrait in the usual meaning, but it has a spiritual tension. Nervous lines outlining the figure and impulsive shaping brush strokes that reveal the facial structure give the character exceptional expressiveness. Rey’s “Samurai” bread and the ornamental decorative background with bright colorful contrasts are evidence of Van Gogh’s interest in Japanese art. Van Gogh gave the painting to Doctor Rey. It is well known that the doctor’s mother did not like the picture, and even the doctor himself did not appreciate the gift. According to legend, the painting was at first stored in a loft in Rey’s house, and later it covered a hole in a hen house. On the advice of artist Charles Camoin, who found the artwork, Doctor Rey sold it to Parisian art dealer Vollard. The painting went through a few collectors’ hands before it ended up in Sergei Schukin’s collection.