One cannot understand Van Gogh without understanding how Japanese art arrived in Paris in the middle of the 19th century, and the profound impact it had on artists like Monet, Degas and Van Gogh. Visiting galleries of Japanese art in Paris and then creating his own image of Japan, Van Gogh’s encounter with Japanese artwork gave his work a new and exciting direction.

In this little known story of Van Gogh’s art, we see just how important his study of Japan was. The film travels to France,  the Netherlands and Japan to further explore the remarkable heritage that so affected Van Gogh and made him the artist we know of today.