A tour of Orsay wouldn't be complete without a glimpse of Van Gogh.
Like Cezanne and Gauguin, Van Gogh brought a new dramatic intensity to 19th century art.
He's considered one of the most influential artists of all time.
He created more than 2,000 paintings in his lifetime, worth millions today, but died penniless and depressed from suicide aged only 37.
His early paintings, when he lived in his native Netherlands, are surprisingly dark.
He then moved to Paris, where he discovered the works of Cezanne, Seurat, Gauguin and other post-Impressionists... a world full of bold and wild colours, emancipated from reality.
Disappointed with Paris, Van Gogh then moved to Arles, in the south of France and began one of the most creative periods in his career.
He painted unique, delirious landscapes of aggressive yellows and ultramarines - most of which are immediately recognisable as Van Goghs today.
While in Arles, he rented 4 rooms in a small yellow house - of which the bedroom is represented here.
By this time, Van Gogh had developed an intense and explosive relationship with fellow artist Gauguin, whom he finally convinced to come visit him in Arles in 1888.
The door at the left of the painting leads into the room where Gauguin stayed while living with Van Gogh.
The toxic relationship culminated in Van Gogh slicing off his own ear during a fierce argument and being taken to two mental institutions, one in which he shot himself a year later.
