Vincent Van Gogh's descent into madness, started with sunflowers. All kinds of sunflower paintings. A whole series of eleven, featuring dead, wilted, and blossoming sunflowers in groups of two, three, four, five, twelve, and fifteen.

The series of paintings, done over the summer of 1888, were meant decorate the room of fellow artist, Paul Guaugin, whom he had finally convinced to join him in his house at Arles, France. In the end, only two of the series would hang there- one painting with a vibrant blue background, and another that consisted primarily of the vibrant yellows and oranges that so dominated the entire series. It was this painting that would sell for $39,921,750 at a Christie's auction in London, in March of 1987.

Their co-habitation from October to December of that year, could not stand the strain of poor weather that kept them indoors. Their initial comradely evenings talking art and other topics, turned to bitter recriminations.

Van Gogh continued to paint at a frenetic pace, using his standard technique of broad brushstrokes to slap paint right out of the tube, onto the canvas. Yet strangely enough, during this disturbed period, they both produced some of their best work.

In December of 1888, Van Gogh suffered a breakdown, during which he cut off the lobe of one ear, and presented it to a local prostitute. Gaugin wrote him a letter while he was hospitalized, but the two never met again.