Three White Cottages in Saintes-Maries

Van Gogh's Three White Cottages at Saintes-Maries, painted during his June 1888 excursion to the Mediterranean fishing village, captures the simple vernacular architecture of this ancient Provençal settlement. The white-washed cottages — low, windowless toward the street, brilliant in the Mediterranean sun — were architecturally unlike anything in the north and excited Van Gogh with their pure chromatic simplicity. The Kunsthaus Zürich's version is among the major Swiss holdings of Van Gogh's Arles period work. He wrote detailed descriptions of Saintes-Maries in letters to Theo, and these paintings are direct illustrations of those descriptions.

The white cottage walls are rendered with careful attention to the complex colors within whiteness under intense Mediterranean sun — the shadows carry strong blues and purples, the lit surfaces range from pure white to warm cream. The setting's strong light and simple forms suit Van Gogh's mature palette. Brushwork captures the rough texture of the Provençal walls.