Vincent van Gogh spent 1886 to 1888 living in Paris with his brother Theo. Drawn into a social and artistic circle of like-minded rising painters that he called the Painters of the Petit Boulevard, van Gogh’s immersion in the world of the avant-garde helped him define his own style and technique. Art historian Bonita Billman explores why these years in Paris were among the most influential in van Gogh’s brief life. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1 credit)