Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), Fishing boats on the beach at Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer

color heliogravure, heavyweight velin paper, 31 x 23 cm (plate imprint), framed in passe - partout 47 x 37 cm, numbered in pencil 152/300 signed from plate under composition "Manet", dry publisher's stamp l. d.: letter K surrounded by the words "EDITION LIMITED CERTIFIED ARTS USA EUROPE SINCE 1998". Original publisher's certificate attached.

In May 1888, Vincent van Gogh planned a trip to the village of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, located on the Mediterranean Sea, 50 km south of Arles. At the time, it was a poor fishing village, located on a coastline devoid of steep cliffs, consisting instead of flat, sandy beaches, much like the sea coasts of the Netherlands. The artist was motivated to go there by the annual Roma pilgrimage to the festival in honor of St. Sarah (May 24).

The painting was created in the morning, before the boats went out to sea. The scenery of the painting is the beach, so to speak, with the sea in its shadow. Its blue color is not much different from the color of the sky. Nature here creates a backdrop for the accurately from the graphic side of the depicted objects.The artist painstakingly rendered the features of the painted boats: the wavy shapes of their hulls and the angular lines of the masts. Almost affectionately depicted objects: boats, benches, shoes, create an impressive sight.

"I spent a week in Saint-Maries.... On this shallow, sandy beach there are small green, red and blue boats with such beautiful colors and shapes that to a person, flowers come to mind."



Heliogravure, which was widespread in the 19th century, was later supplanted by rotogravure, as heliogravure is an expensive and very time-consuming method. Nowadays it is sometimes used in fine art printmaking. Plates obtained by heliogravure can be supplemented by other methods of intaglio printing techniques. Occasionally, this technique is also used in the reproduction of works of art, when it is necessary to create a small number of copies of very high quality.