Japan in Arles
“In early 1888, Van Gogh moved to Arles in the south of France, where he hoped to establish an art colony. Believing that painting could be reinvented through the genre of portraiture, he encouraged his fellow artists to paint themselves, and then to exchange the canvases. After receiving self-portraits from Emile Bernard and Gauguin, who were working together in Brittany at the time, Van Gogh inscribed this painting “To my friend Paul Gauguin,” and sent it to him. He described the process of creating his arresting likeness in several letters to his brother Theo, an art dealer in Paris, explaining how he manipulated his features in response to Japanese prints, changed the contours of his jacket for coloristic effect, and painted the background “pale veronese green” without any shadows. Shortly after he sent the work to Gauguin, however, their friendship deteriorated, and Gauguin sold it for three hundred francs.”
Harvard Art Museum
See More
Vincent van Gogh at Christie’s
More At Sunnyside
Tag: Vincent van Gogh At Sunnyside
Learn More
Find out more about Van Gogh and Japan at the Van Gogh Museum
Thanks for Visiting 🙂
~Sunnyside
At Sunnyside - Where Truth and Beauty Meet 
Reblogged this on penwithlit and commented:
Love Van Gogh more and more….
LikeLiked by 1 person
A fascinating video! (I’m in the process of also learning from David Bull’s YouTube videos about all aspects of Japanese woodblock printing). Here is a link to one of them:
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a great channel! I can’t wait to learn more – thank you, Ashley! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
A fascinating video clip, Sunnyside. Van Gogh understood what we humans today have yet to acknowledge: We have all been influenced in some way by other cultures across time and space.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So true, Rosaliene! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
A terrific video. I lived in Japan a while back, and visited a gallery which featured Japanese artists who were influenced by Impressionism. I am not surprised that the fascination Van Gogh experienced with the Japanese and their art had such an impact on him. The portrait you feature is wonderful.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The cross-cultural influences in art are so interesting. How fortunate you are to have traveled to Japan, Vivienne! Thanks for sharing your experience. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love me some Vincent, especial after watching At Eternity’s Gate (2019).
LikeLiked by 1 person
Just added to my list – thanks, Gia! 😎
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re super welcome! 🥳
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have to catch up and see the other parts. Thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
My pleasure, Sheila! Thanks for visiting. 🙂
LikeLike