Courtisane - portrait

In 1887, while living in Paris, Vincent van Gogh was head over heels for Japanese art. He had been collecting ukiyo-e woodblock prints and loved their flat shapes and daring colors. This painting, sometimes called "The Courtesan," began as a copy of a print he spotted on the cover of a French magazine. Van Gogh scaled the figure up and gave her a rich golden frame, turning a borrowed image into something entirely his own.

Around the edges, he scattered pieces of the natural world drawn from other Japanese prints he admired. Bamboo shoots climb up the right side, water lilies drift across a pond, tall cranes stand among the reeds, and two little frogs peek out from the bottom. His thick, energetic brushwork gives the whole scene a texture and warmth that go beyond simple imitation. Even borrowing another artist's design, his hand is unmistakable.

Van Gogh never set foot in Japan, yet his idea of it shaped how he saw everything. He once said he wished he could look at the world with the fresh, simple eyes he imagined Japanese artists had. Works like this show an artist figuring things out by copying what he loved, and they nudged him toward the bold, glowing style he is remembered for today.