Above, are some of the best-known images from this period. There’s the chair with the pipe, a self-portrait and an impression of the Yellow House, the building in the centre of Arles which he rented. Vincent set up home here, creating a studio space, while welcoming fellow artists to share in his enthusiasm for the surroundings and the exciting development of his art.

These portraits were new to me too. Left to right we have Portrait of a Peasant (Patience Escalier), an old gardener, painted in wonderfully bold colours. Middle is a portrait of Lieutenant Milliet named The Lover, because of this handsome fellow’s success in attracting women – He is wearing the uniform of the Zoauves. On the right is The Arlesienne, based on a portrait of Marie Ginoux who ran the local cafe in Arles. She’s been reading Charles Dickens’s Christmas Stories and Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Apparently the women in Arles were renowned for their beauty. Vincent declared that he had seen a ‘Venus’ in the town!

Wonderful to see the variety of landscapes. On the left is a view of the Garden of the Asylum at Saint-Remy, in 1889, where Vincent Van Gogh admitted himself when dealing with a mental health crisis. He was given a room at the hospital to use as a studio and sent the work he generated to his brother Theo. Middle is a view of the Hospital at Saint Remy and on the right is a familiar image: Starry Night over the Rhone which is just breathtaking.

Portrait of the Poet, above. This is Eugene Boch, painted in 1888, complete with starry sky in the background. And on the right is a Wheatfield with Cypresses, one of the exhibition’s ‘old friends’ we can see at in the National Gallery collection.

Alas, my photo on the right does not show all three images but, apparently, Vincent Van Gogh wanted the portrait of Augustine Roulin, (picture is entitled La Berceuse – the Lullaby) to be seen flanked by two of his sunflowers paintings. So, there they are.

This is a show well worth seeing. Amazing that it covers just the last two years of his life but what a rich and productive time it was for the artist, despite difficult relationships with fellow artists and mental health battles . Most of all, it’s a joy to view rarely-seen images which have been lent by collections from all over the world, giving us a very comprehensive glimpse into the artist’s careful use of colour, brave application of paint, personal interests and fascinating subjects.

Van Gogh, Poets & Lovers opens on 14th September and runs until 19th January 2025