Vincent's Portraits: Paintings and Drawings by Ralph SkeaVincent's Portraits: Paintings and Drawings by Van Gogh by Ralph Skea Despite his posthumous fame as a painter of flowers, still lifes, gardens, landscapes and city scenes, during his lifetime Vincent van Gogh believed that his portraits constituted his most important works. Although as an artist he was touched by so many different things, he was nevertheless committed to the art of portraiture a quality that distinguished him from his contemporaries.