Van Gogh & Japan

Though Vincent van Gogh never visited Japan, it is the country that had the most profound influence on him and his art. Discovering Japanese art in Paris in the mid-1900s stirred his creative juices: he bought over 600 prints, researched and interviewed artists, and created his own image of the country. Vivid traditional woodcuts became a huge inspiration as Van Gogh bent the Japanese style to his own will. Based on an exhibition of the same name at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, this film tells a little-known chapter in the evolution of the master we know today. D: David Bickerstaff, 2019, UK