Lamgat bridge and Marina ‘t Lamgat - Hoeven

The chances are slim that Vincent ever visited here. But he did love places like this immensely. Vincent van Gogh liked to paint scenes set by the water. He made numerous paintings of fishing boats, harbours and bridges. After his childhood years in Brabant, he eventually moved to Paris and later to the south of France. Vincent was very productive here. In the Arles area, he worked on numerous paintings and drawings. He developed his own expressive painting style in strong colours and dynamic brushstrokes. We can also see this in his scenes with water, bridges and boats.

Vincent says :
‘But precisely because love is so strong, we in our youth (I mean at 17, 18, 20) are usually not strong enough to keep our rudder straight. You see, heartaches are the sails of the boat, and someone who, at the age of 20, surrenders completely to his feelings catches too much wind and his boat floods and - and he perishes or..... he gets on top again.’

Letter to Theo van Gogh. Etten, Saturday 12 November 1881.