Orsay in Tokyo and Haiku

An old wooden desk
Yellow dots of light, shrieking
Filling Van Gogh's room

Artwork by Van Gogh is among the pieces from Orsay on display now at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum. I am struck by how the painting is filled with happiness. We are so used to the image of Van Gogh as a tormented lonely ear-shaving painter. Another painting that stood out is Auguste Renoir's portrait of Claude Monet. There is so much respect and love in that painting. Besides the works, and the artists' lives behind the works, we also see the relationships among the artists.