Great Art: Van Gogh & Japan

Tim Marlow explores Japanese influences on Van Gogh's art, a country he never visited during his life. The programme examines the tremendous impact that exhibitions of Japanese art in Paris in the middle years of the 19th century had on Van Gogh and his peers, including Monet and Degas. Van Gogh's decision to abandon the city for the south of France in his final years was driven in part by a desire to find an environment closer to Japan, and Asian influences can be clearly seen in the exciting new direction his work took during this period