In 1886, the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh began to exhibit simple, elegant lines and vivid colors. Art historians explain this change as the incorporation of another culture's artistic tradition and argue on this basis that Van Gogh became interested in Japanese art at this time.

Each of the following, if true, provides some support for the art historians' account described above EXCEPT:


A) Black contours typical of Japanese Yamato-e paintings appear in Van Gogh's work from 1886 on but at no earlier time.

B) Van Gogh's notebooks dating from the inception of his art career until 1885 contain hundreds of sketches for paintings, none of which exhibit the style distinctive to Japanese artwork.

C) A thriving market for Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints existed in Paris, where Van Gogh settled in early 1886.

D) Bridge in the Rain, which Van Gogh painted in 1885, exhibited striking similarities to Sudden Rain at Ohashi Bridge by Japanese print master Hiroshige.

E) Some of Van Gogh's sketches were drawn using a reed shaped into a quill, a traditional Japanese instrument Van Gogh began to use in 1886.