These Buddhist principles first came to van Gogh during the period of Japonisme. In the 1870’s the Japonisme movement took place in Paris, a fad consisting of the sudden immense popularity of Japanese culture, from woodblock prints to kimono dresses. Like the Post-Impressionists of the time, Van Gogh also took a particular interest in the unique style of art of the Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints (Kendall 79-80). These woodblocks consisted of flat outlines, intense colors, and simplicity in details, a stark difference to Western styles. As defined in Patricia Flynn’s paper on the influences of Japanese prints,
the word ukiyo-e means a picture of ‘the floating world’. It was derived from Buddhist religious interpretation that described man’s life on earth as unhappy, a stage to go through along the road to salvation (Flynn).
The belief that this life is meant for suffering is one of the four Noble Truths that Buddhists follow. The other three are that suffering has a cause, the goal of a Buddhist is to reach Nirvana, and in order to reach Nirvana one must follow the Eightfold Path. Until Nirvana, known as the liberation from suffering, is reached, followers must continually follow the samsara cycle of life, death, and rebirth through karma (“Buddhism”). By incorporating Buddhist principles into art, the ukiyo-e imprinted such beliefs into van Gogh’s own art and way of life.