In the summer of 1888, Van Gogh, who was then living in Arles, made a trip to the small Mediterranean fishing village of Saintes-Maries de la Mer, where he made a painted view of this street with its thatched roofs and smoking chimneys. This drawing was one of fifteen that were sent, in the month of July alone, to Van Gogh's friend, the artist Émile Bernard, in Brittany, to keep Bernard up to date on the work he was doing. In these vibrant drawings, Van Gogh captured the essence of the paintings while creating the compositions anew in a different medium.
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Artwork Details
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Title:Street in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer
Artist:Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, Zundert 1853–1890 Auvers-sur-Oise)
Date:ca. July 15, 1888
Medium:Reed pen, quill, and brown ink over black chalk on wove paper (backed with wove paper)
Dimensions:Sheet: 9 9/16 x 12 1/2 in. (24.3 x 31.7 cm)
Classification:Drawings
Credit Line:Bequest of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, 1948
Accession Number:48.190.1
Signature: lower left in pen and ink: 'Vincent'
Marking: touches of black chalk at upper and lower right (apparently attempts to camouflage repairs - to pin holes?) suggest that the ink was much darker at the time the chalk was applied, or it would not appear so much darker now.
Emile Bernard (French); Ambroise Vollard (French); Galerie Druet, Paris; Moderne Galerie Heinrich Thannhauser, Munich, Lucerne, Berlin; M. Goldschmidt; A. Ronde; Abby Aldrich Rockefeller; Museum of Modern Art, New York
Museum of Modern Art, New York. "Vincent van Gogh," November 5, 1935–January 5, 1936.
Museum of Modern Art, New York. "Paintings, Sculpture, and Graphic Arts from the Museum Collection," July 2, 1946–September 12, 1954.
New York. Museum of Modern Art. "Recent Acquisitions: Bequest of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr.," September 14, 1948–November 7, 1948.
John Elderfield. "Three Modern Styles," July 11, 1950–September 5, 1950.
Museum of Modern Art, New York. "Three Modern Styles," July 11, 1950–September 5, 1950.
Haus der Kunst München. "Vincent Van Gogh," October 19, 1956–December 16, 1956.
Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery. "Vincent van Gogh: A Loan Exhibition of Paintings and Drawings," July 3, 1957–August 4, 1957.
Museum of Modern Art, New York. "MoMA Permanent Collection, 1958-1962," October 8, 1958–October 29, 1962.
Museum of Modern Art, New York. "100 Drawings from the Museum Collection," October 11, 1960–January 2, 1961.
Museum of Modern Art, New York. "Drawings from the Museum Collections: A Selection," May 27, 1964–April 6, 1965.
Museum of Modern Art, New York. "Drawings from the Museum Collections," October 31, 1966–May 8, 1967.
Museum of Modern Art, New York. "Ways of Looking," July 28, 1971–November 1, 1971.
Museum of Modern Art, New York. "The Symbolist Aesthetic," December 23, 1980–March 10, 1981.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Van Gogh in Arles," October 18–December 30, 1984.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Drawings and Prints: Selections from the Permanent Collection," November 30, 1998–February 8, 1999.
Amsterdam. Van Gogh Museum. "Van Gogh: The Drawings," July 1–September 18, 2005.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Van Gogh: The Drawings," October 12–December 31, 2005.
Morgan Library & Museum. "Vincent van Gogh, Painted with Words: The Letters to Émile Bernard," September 28, 2007–January 6, 2008.
Gustave Coquiot Vincent van Gogh. Paris, 1923, p. 316, ill. after p. 176.
J. B. De La Faille L'Oeuvre de Vincent van Gogh: Catalogue raisonné. 1928; rev. edition 1970, cat. no. 1435.
John Rewald Vincent van Gogh: A Loan Exhibition of Paintings and Drawings. Exh. cat., Municipal Art Gallery, Los Angeles, July 3-August 4, 1957. Los Angeles, 1957, cat. no. 32, ill.
Jan Hulsker The Complete Van Gogh. Paintings, Drawings, Sketches. New York, 1980, cat. no. 1506, ill.
Magdalena Dabrowski The Symbolist Aesthetic. Exh. cat., Museum of Modern Art, New York, December 23, 1980-March 10, 1981. New York, 1980, cat. no. 22.
John Elderfield The Modern Drawing: 100 Works on Paper from the Museum of Modern Art.. New York, 1983, pp. 22-23, ill. p. 23.
Ronald Pickvance, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Van Gogh in Arles. New York, 1984, cat. no. 64, ill.
Marina Ferretti-Bocquillon, Anne Distel, John Leighton, Susan Alyson Stein Signac 1863-1935. Exh. cat., Grand Palais, Paris, Feb. 27-May 28, 2001, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, June 15-Sept. 9, 2001, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Oct. 9-Dec. 30, 2001. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2001, p. 24, ill. p. 25, fig. 20., ill.
Colta Ives, Susan Alyson Stein, Sjraar van Heugten, Marije Vellekoop, Marjorie Shelley, Silvia A. Centeno Vincent van Gogh: The Drawings. Exh. cat. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2005, pp. 175,270, 272, 339,349, 350, 351, 355 n.36, 357, cat. no. 53, fig. no. 18,180,244-5,261, pp. 13,165, 174, ill.
Leo Jansen, Hans Luijten, Nienke Bakker Vincent van Gogh, Painted with Words: The Letters to Émile Bernard Exh. cat., Morgan Library & Museum, New York, September 28, 2007-January 6, 2008. New York, 2007, pp. 210-13, ill. p. 210, fig. 41.
Dr. Klaus Albrecht Schröder, Heinz Widauer, Sjraar van Heugten, Marije Vellekoop Van Gogh: Heartfelt Lines. Exh. cat., Graphische Sammlung Albertina, Vienna, Sept. 5-Dec. 8. Cologne, 2008, cat. no. 72, ill.
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