Fishing Boats on the Beach at Saintes-Maries
by GOGH, Vincent van, Reed pen, 395 x 535 mm
Catalogue numbers: F 1428, JH 1458.
At the end of May 1888 van Gogh took a trip to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, a fishing village on the Mediterranean coast. He painted here two seascapes and a view of the village along with a number of drawings that he based paintings on once he was back in his studio.
On the present drawing van Gogh based a painting ( F 413) which is one of his most accomplished attempts to establish a harmony of motif and colour.
On the drawing the painter meticulously recorded the colours of the original subject (rouge, blanc, bleu, etc.). The graphic precision on the painted version was laid down in detail in the drawing.