Paris, France March 1886-January 1888

Vincent and Theo had discussed Vincent’s leaving Antwerp and joining Theo in the Montmartre section of Paris, which he did, quite unannounced and in the face of some resistance on Theo’s part. Their living together, of course, caused an end to their correspondence, so little is documented about this time in Vincent’s life except by the recollections of their acquaintances and some of his letters to others, such as his mother, his sister Wil and English artist Horace M. Levins, whom Vincent had met in Antwerp.

Paris was becoming a haven for artists. Through the 1886 Impressionist Exhibition, Theo introduced Vincent to the works of the Impressionists such as Monet and Degas, and Vincent became casual friends with Henri de Toulouse Lautrec and close friends with Emile Bernard. Vincent became closer to Theo and more dependent on him financially and emotionally. Theo encouraged Vincent in his artistic pursuits, and Vincent moved away from the darker colors traditional of his homeland and began using brighter, more vibrant colors as influenced by the Impressionists, and developed an interest in Japanese art. His art began showing a mixture of Impressionistic colors and Japanese techniques, and he made three copies of Japanese paintings. There were subtle signs of Japanese influence in his paintings for the rest of his life. He adopted sunflowers as his personal emblem while he was here.
Vincent seldom lacked for subject matter to paint. If he ran out of models or inspiration, he might paint his version of someone else’s paintings, second or third or even fourth versions of his own paintings, and if all else failed, himself or even his shoes. He painted many self-portraits here.
Although Paris was having a tremendous influence on Vincent’s art, the tension of living with Theo combined with his own unhealthy excesses and habits and restless nature, in January 1888, Vincent decided to head south, where he found the weather more preferable.

                                                        A Pair of Shoes - Early 1887
                                  (Also did other paintings with similar names and content in 1886)