Vincent van Gogh and his obsession for Japan

Vincent van Gogh was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. Although he never traveled to Japan, he was deeply inspired by Japanese art, particularly ukiyo-e woodblock prints.

Van Gogh first encountered Japanese prints in the winter of 1886-1887, when he was living in Paris. He was immediately captivated by their bold colors, simplified forms, and flattened perspective. He began collecting prints avidly, and by the end of his life, he owned over 600.

Van Gogh was particularly drawn to the way that Japanese artists depicted nature. He admired their use of color to create a sense of atmosphere and mood, and he was inspired by their ability to capture the beauty of everyday life. He began to incorporate elements of Japanese art into his own paintings, such as the use of flat colors, simplified forms, and decorative patterns.

One of the most famous examples of Van Gogh’s Japanese influence is his painting The Starry Night (1889). The painting depicts the view from his window at the asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. The swirling clouds and stars are reminiscent of the stylized clouds and mountains found in Japanese prints, and the overall composition is balanced and harmonious.

Van Gogh’s love for Japanese art had a profound impact on his work. It helped him to develop his own unique style, and it inspired him to create some of his most iconic paintings. His paintings are still admired today for their beauty and their expressive power, and they owe much to his fascination with Japanese art.

In addition to his paintings, Van Gogh also wrote extensively about Japanese art. In his letters to his brother Theo, he often discussed his thoughts on Japanese art and how it influenced his own work. He wrote that Japanese art was “something like the primitives, like the Greeks, like our old Dutchmen,” and that it was “a model of pure artistic expression.”

Van Gogh’s love for Japan was a lifelong passion. He never traveled to the country, but he was able to experience its culture through the art that he collected and the books that he read. Japanese art helped him to see the world in a new way, and it inspired him to create some of his most beautiful and influential paintings.