Isabella Flores
Vincent van Gogh painted several paintings of the ocean, including Fishing Boats at Sea, The Sea at Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, and Seascape near Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. Van Gogh was fascinated by the beauty of the Mediterranean Sea and its ever-changing colours, which he described as a colour like mackerel. He also drew inspiration from Japanese art, incorporating its influences into his paintings of the ocean. Van Gogh's use of materials and techniques, such as coarse canvas and bold, swirling brushstrokes, brought a sense of movement and vitality to his seascapes, capturing the beauty and power of the ocean.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Subject | The French town of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, a small fishing village on the Mediterranean Sea |
| Number of Paintings | Two paintings of the sea, one of the village, and nine drawings |
| Inspiration | The beauty of the Mediterranean Sea, the changing light effects over the sea, and the colours of the sea |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Techniques | Use of coarse canvas, thickly applied paint (impasto), vigorous brushwork, use of a palette knife |
| Colours | Blue, green, yellow, orange, white |
| Symbolism | Blue and green symbolise the eternal and ever-changing nature of the sea; yellow and orange symbolise the transient and emotional aspects of human existence |
| Influence | Japanese art and prints |
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What You'll Learn
Van Gogh's paintings of the Mediterranean Sea
In June 1888, Vincent van Gogh took a week-long trip to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, a small fishing village in the South of France on the Mediterranean Sea. During this trip, he created several paintings of the seascape and the village.
Van Gogh's work in Saintes-Maries took on a more experimental and expressive style compared to his earlier work. He produced one painting of the village, two paintings of the sea, and nine drawings. The paintings he created during this trip are considered important because they are so few, and they showcase the true beauty of the Mediterranean Sea.
One of the paintings Van Gogh worked on while in the village was "Fishing Boats on the Beach at Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer" (F413). In a letter to his brother Theo, he described the painting as follows:
> "I made the drawing of the boats when I left very early in the morning, and I am now working on a painting based on it, a size 30 canvas with more sea and sky on the right. It was before the boats hastened out; I had watched them every morning, but as they leave very early I didn't have time to paint them."
Another painting from this series is "The Sea at Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer" (F415), which depicts three boats floating on a calm sea with a fisherman visible in the foreground guiding the boat. This painting's high horizon emphasises the vastness of the sea, with varying shades of blue and green standing out against the boats.
Van Gogh was fascinated by the colours of the Mediterranean Sea, writing:
> "The Mediterranean Sea is a mackerel colour: in other words, changeable – you do not always know whether it is green or purple, you do not always know if it is blue, as the next moment the ever-changing sheen has assumed a pink or a grey tint."
To capture the changing light effects over the sea, Van Gogh used a variety of colours and techniques in his paintings, including blue, green, yellow, and white. He also experimented with different textures by using a coarse canvas and applying thick layers of paint with a palette knife.
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$28.59
The colour of the Mediterranean Sea according to Van Gogh
In June 1888, Vincent van Gogh took a week-long trip to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, a small fishing village on the Mediterranean Sea in the South of France. During this trip, he created several paintings of the seascape and village, including two paintings of the sea itself.
In his paintings of the Mediterranean Sea, Van Gogh used a variety of colours to capture the ever-changing nature of the water. He described the colour of the sea as "mackerel-like", reflecting its constantly shifting hues. In his letters to his brother, Theo, Van Gogh mentioned that the colours of the Mediterranean Sea were not just blue but a mix of green and violet, with hints of pink and grey.
In his paintings, Van Gogh used shades of blue, green, and yellow to depict the waves. He applied these colours with a palette knife, capturing the effect of light reflecting off the water. The varying shades of colour he used in his paintings brought the scene to life, emphasising the tumultuous waves and uneven sea. Van Gogh's use of colour symbolised the eternal and ever-changing nature of the sea, with blue representing depth and stability, and green alluding to life and renewal.
One of the paintings from this series, "The Sea at Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer" (F415), depicts three boats floating on a calm sea, with special attention to light and colour. The high horizon of the painting emphasises the vastness of the sea, with varying shades of blue and green standing out against the boats. This painting captures the calm and quaint nature of the Mediterranean Sea, in contrast to the more dramatic seascape depicted in another work from the same series.
Van Gogh's seascapes from this period are particularly notable due to their rarity and their ability to showcase the true beauty of the Mediterranean Sea. They also demonstrate his experimental and expressive style, influenced by Japanese art and his interest in capturing the changing light effects over the sea.
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Van Gogh's use of texture in his ocean paintings
During his lifetime, Vincent van Gogh created several paintings of the ocean, including "Seascape near Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer", "View of the Sea at Scheveningen", and "Fishing Boats at Sea". Van Gogh's use of texture in his ocean paintings was a crucial aspect of his artistic style and a means of conveying his emotional response to the subject matter.
One of the most notable techniques Van Gogh employed to create texture in his ocean paintings was the use of impasto, or thickly applied paint. By applying paint in thick, visible strokes, Van Gogh achieved a three-dimensional texture on the canvas, giving the surface a rough and tactile quality. This technique is evident in "View of the Sea at Scheveningen" and "Fishing Boats at Sea", where the impasto creates a dynamic and energetic effect, capturing the turbulent nature of the sea.
In addition to impasto, Van Gogh also utilized a variety of tools and techniques to build up texture in his ocean paintings. He often experimented with different canvas textures, such as using a coarse canvas for "Fishing Boats at Sea", which provided a better base for building up the paint and creating texture. Van Gogh also frequently employed a palette knife to apply paint in thick, textured layers, as seen in "Seascape near Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer" and "Fishing Boats at Sea". This tool allowed him to create pronounced impasto and emphasize the physicality of the scene, such as the tumultuous waves and uneven sea in "Seascape near Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer".
Van Gogh's choice of pigments and colour mixing also contributed to the texture of his ocean paintings. He often used vibrant and contrasting colours, layering intense pigments to add depth and complexity to the surface, as seen in "View of the Sea at Scheveningen". In "Fishing Boats at Sea", Van Gogh's use of blues and greens for the sea and warm yellows and oranges for the sky created a visually rich texture, with the complementary contrast mirroring the tension between the vast sea and the fishermen.
Furthermore, Van Gogh's brushwork played a significant role in creating texture in his ocean paintings. His brushstrokes were bold, expressive, and dynamic, adding depth and movement to the scenes. By varying the pressure and direction of his brushstrokes, Van Gogh conveyed a sense of energy and the play of light on the water's surface. This is evident in "Fishing Boats at Sea", where the swirling brushstrokes depict the roiling sea and swirling sky.
Overall, Van Gogh's use of texture in his ocean paintings was a key element of his artistic style and a means of expressing his emotional response to the subject. Through the use of impasto, experimental canvas textures, palette knife techniques, colour choices, and dynamic brushwork, Van Gogh created textured surfaces that brought his ocean scenes to life, capturing the beauty and power of the sea.
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The influence of Japanese art on Van Gogh's ocean paintings
In June 1888, Vincent van Gogh made a trip to Saintes-Maries, a small Mediterranean fishing village in the South of France. During his week-long stay, he made one painting of the village, two paintings of the seascape, and nine drawings.
Van Gogh's interest in Japanese art began when he discovered illustrations by Félix Régamey in magazines such as *The Illustrated London News* and *Le Monde Illustré*. He soon began collecting ukiyo-e prints, which he purchased in small Parisian shops. Van Gogh was captivated by the ordinary subject matter, distinctive cropping, bold outlines, unusual perspectives, flat regions of uniform colour, uniform lighting, and emphasis on decorative patterns in ukiyo-e prints. He also appreciated the "exotic" unfamiliarity of Japanese art compared to European artistic styles.
Van Gogh's seascape paintings demonstrate the influence of Japanese art in several ways. In his paintings of Saintes-Maries, Van Gogh used horizontal lines to represent calm seas, while swirling lines and whitecaps in the foreground suggested turbulence. This composition was influenced by one of Van Gogh's favourite Japanese works, *The Great Wave off Kanagawa*. The artist also captured the changing colours of the Mediterranean Sea, noting that it was not simply blue but a mixture of green, purple, pink, and grey hues. This use of colour may have been inspired by Japanese prints, which feature large expanses of strong colour.
Van Gogh's use of a reed pen in his drawings of fishing boats at Saintes-Maries also reflects the influence of Japanese art. The fluidity achieved with the reed pen is similar to the fluid movements found in Japanese prints. Additionally, the placement of tiered-patterned strokes in these drawings may also be influenced by Japanese artistic techniques.
In conclusion, Vincent van Gogh's ocean paintings were influenced by Japanese art in terms of composition, subject matter, colour, and technique. The artist's exposure to Japanese ukiyo-e prints and woodblock works inspired him to incorporate new elements into his paintings, contributing to the development of his distinctive style.
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Symbolic significance of colours in Van Gogh's ocean paintings
Vincent van Gogh, the acclaimed Dutch Post-Impressionist painter, had a deep appreciation for the profound beauty of nature and the human experience. This is reflected in his paintings, including those that depict the ocean. One of his most notable works featuring the ocean is "Fishing Boats at Sea," in which van Gogh uses a combination of colours and techniques to create a captivating and symbolic portrayal of the sea.
In "Fishing Boats at Sea," van Gogh uses blue and green shades to represent the eternal and ever-changing nature of the sea. The blues range from deep ultramarine to lighter cerulean, while the greens capture the reflections and translucency of the water. Blue symbolises depth and stability, while green alludes to life and renewal, reflecting the cyclical nature of the ocean.
To add texture and luminosity to the painting, van Gogh used white paint to highlight the foam and cresting waves. These highlights create a sense of movement and capture the play of light on the water's surface. The complementary contrast between the blues and greens of the sea and the warm yellows and oranges of the sky further enhances the emotional impact of the painting. These warm hues symbolise the transient and emotional aspects of human existence, mirroring van Gogh's own emotional struggles.
Van Gogh's use of colour in his ocean paintings extends beyond "Fishing Boats at Sea." In his series of paintings from Saintes-Maries, van Gogh captures the beauty of the Mediterranean Sea. He describes the colours of the sea as "like mackerel, in other words, changing – you don't always know if it's green or purple – you don't always know if it's blue – because a second later, its changing reflection has taken on a pink or grey hue." This ever-changing quality of the sea's colours is reflected in his paintings, where shades of blue and green stand out against the boats.
Through his use of colour, van Gogh not only captures the physical beauty of the ocean but also infuses his paintings with symbolic meaning. The blues and greens represent the depth, stability, and cyclical nature of the sea, while the warm hues of the sky evoke the passion and intensity of human existence. By contrasting these colours, van Gogh creates visual tension that mirrors the emotional turmoil of the artist himself. Thus, the colours in van Gogh's ocean paintings serve as a powerful tool to convey symbolic significance and emotional expression.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Vincent Van Gogh painted the ocean in a series of paintings during his trip to Saintes-Maries, a small fishing village on the Mediterranean Sea.
Van Gogh painted two paintings of the sea during his week-long trip to Saintes-Maries.
The two paintings of the sea created during Van Gogh's trip to Saintes-Maries are "The Sea at Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer" and "Seascape at Saintes-Maries".
Van Gogh's seascapes are significant because they are quite rare, and they beautifully capture the ever-changing colours and light of the Mediterranean Sea. He also used sand and Japanese art influences in these paintings.
