The exhibition, The Real Van Gogh: The Artist and His Letters, which finished yesterday, has been hugely popular. Unfortunately, it meant the queues to get in during normal opening hours were over three hours long at times. And the crowds inside made it difficult to view the paintings, drawings and letters that were on display, according to a friend who went last month.

So the invitation to a press party and private viewing – organised by the exhibition’s sponsor The Bank of New York Mellon – was too good an opportunity to miss. Having the space and time to amble around uninterrupted, reading the inscriptions and admiring the paintings in close detail, was a real delight (not to mention the free cava and canapés).

Of particular interest was the insight the exhibition gave into Van Gogh the expatriate. His formative years as an artist in the Netherlands produced a series of dark and dour paintings drawn from the people and landscapes around him. However, once Van Gogh moved to Paris colour began to infuse his palette. At last he was at the centre of the artistic world, and the influence of the Impressionists, and pointillists such as Georges Seurat, is visibly evident in his development as a painter.

But it was Van Gogh’s relocation south, and the inspiration he found in sun-blessed Provence, that marks the real turning point in his career. It is from this period that his most famous paintings date: Bedroom in Arles, Irises, Cypresses, The Starry Night, Cafe Terrace and the Sunflowers series.

Unfortunately, this time in Provence also saw a pronounced deterioration in Van Gogh’s mental health, an illness that led to his eventual suicide.

On second thoughts, perhaps a life in the sun isn’t such a great idea after all!

No related posts.

That may have been the sentiment of Napoleon’s great adversary the Duke of Wellington, but two centuries and two world wars as allies on and relations between the Brits and French have become – mostly – more amicable.

Certainly I detected no animosity during my family’s recent foray into France on holiday. Instead, despite my barbarous misuse of their beautiful language, we were greeted with smiles and warmth wherever we went.

Likewise, today’s Brits seem to hold their neighbour and erstwhile foe in particularly high esteem (although for some reason my grandmother, who I’m sure was not alone, harboured a lingering resentment towards France, and refused to buy any French produce in the supermarkets until the end of her life!).

And we Brits are not alone. As the CIA’s World Factbook observes, France is the most visited country in the world, to the tune of 82 million foreign tourists in 2007.

With good reason too. For it is a breathtaking country, as I was reminded on our recent journey across the Pyrenean border from Spain and up through Aquitaine into the Charente, near the Atlantic coast.

I have to confess, our time in the country made me a little envious of the French and anyone else who lives there. Not enough to want to upsticks from Spain and move perhaps. But I can certainly see why its appeal for anyone else thinking of relocating abroad.

So here are my top five reasons for moving to France:

1)      The Countryside

As Meg Ryan exclaimed in the movie French Kiss, while admiring the French countryside passing by her train window: “Err, beautiful!”

Oh yes. Think of the Loire, the forests of Fontainebleau, the Bordelais and Burgundian wine regions, the Alps, the Côte d’Azur. France has it all.

2)      Towns and Cities

Is Paris the most beautiful city in the world? It’s got to have a claim. But even in the smallest provincial towns and villages it is easy to find a delightful shaded square, an arched bridge across a meandering river, a bustling market, or a maze of narrow cobbled lanes.

3)      Climate

France encompasses all three European climates: maritime, continental and Mediterranean. And while this contributes to the beauty and variety of its geography, it also brings an abundance of leisure opportunities, whether for adventure sports like skiing or surfing, or more gentle pursuits such as golf, walking or painting.

4)      Wining and Dining

Need I say more?! Just picture yourself kicking back with a glass of claret after a sumptuous four-course French meal. I rest my case.

5)      French Living

And all of this is wrapped up in something that is at once intangible and yet very real: the whole mode of French life, its attitudes and cultural mores. The beauty that seems to imbue everything French, whether in its art or architecture, its language, music or their inimitable sense of style. And, perhaps most importantly, a cultural emphasis on pleasure and appreciating the good things in life. Indeed, like chic, the French expression has even entered the English vernacular: joie de vivre. Who could say it better?

Related posts:

1. What Quality of Life Can You Expect Abroad?
2. European Quality of Life Advantages Called Into Question
3. The Perfect Country?