Seascape at Saintes-Maries

Van Gogh's Seascape at Saintes-Maries, painted during his 1888 trip to the Mediterranean coast, captures the fishing boats and open sea at the village of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. He wrote to Theo describing his excitement at seeing the Mediterranean for the first time — its cobalt blue, the vivid colors of the fishing boats, the quality of the light utterly different from anything in the north. This seascape, now in the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, is among the most directly observed of his Arles period marine works, a document of first encounter with the sea. The vivid Mediterranean palette is fully deployed here.

The Mediterranean sea fills the canvas with Van Gogh's most intense blue — a cobalt complemented by the warm yellows and reds of the fishing boats in the foreground. The water's surface is rendered with short, choppy strokes that capture the movement of shallow coastal water. The sky and sea are distinguished by subtle color and value differences. The boats are rendered with clear, specific observation.