He had a challenging difficulty persuading people to sit for him, which was largely owing to his uneasy demeanor. Van Gogh also appears to have despised painting close relatives and acquaintances. Without subjects, the most basic way to enhance one's talents as a portrait painter is to paint oneself, which just requires the use of mirrors. I'm working on two self-portraits right now - for lack of another subject - since it's long overdue that I did a little figure painting, he says.