Vincent van Gogh painted Saintes-Maries as the subject of several works in 1888. While residing in Arles, Van Gogh travelled to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer on the Mediterranean Sea and painted numerous scenes of the town and surrounding waters. Van Gogh travelled 30 miles by stagecoach in June 1888 from Arles to the Mediterranean Sea fishing town of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. During his week-long vacation, Van Gogh created some paintings and drawings of the beach while also trying to get his health under control. Saintes-Maries was a modest fishing community with less than 100 houses at the time.
