À propos de l’œuvre
Les dockers à Arles, par Vincent van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh · August 1888 · Arles, quai du Rhône
The Dockers in Arles, F438Reproduction of oil painting on canvas
Three dockers unload dark barges on the Rhône at sunset. The yellow-green river reflects the purple city, while an orange sky crossed with green transforms daily work into almost unreal vision.
Look at the work
The work of dockers in an incandescent Rhône
Black boats and silhouettes occupy the foreground, seen almost at dock level. This dark band gives all its shine to the golden water and orange sky which cover the rest of the canvas.
The city of Arles forms a blue-black frieze on the other bank. Its verticals extend into the river with broken reflections, while the long touches of the sky describe a vast horizontal movement.
Painted in Arles in August 1888, this oil on canvas of 54 × 65 cm is F438/JH1571. It is kept at the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum in Madrid under number 557 (1965.7).
Composition, touch and color
Three observations specific to this painting
Van Gogh greatly simplified the shapes and based the scene on great contrasts. The workers remain almost in silhouette, but their gestures can be read by the direction of the bodies, arms and boards.
The first black plane carries light
Hulls, dock and dockers form a continuous dark base that makes the yellow of the river and the orange of the sky more intense.
The reflections prolong the city
The blue-black buildings are repeated in the water with vertical lines, interrupted by large yellow and green touches.
The sky is painted as moving matter
Orange, yellow and green wrap into long visible marks, giving the sunset an almost liquid energy.
Documented benchmarks
Precisely identify the original work
The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum links the painting to a vision of the Rhône described by Van Gogh to Theo at the beginning of August 1888. The artist brought the effect of barges, water and the sky closer to Hokusai's prints.
Three paintings linked to barges
This observation of the Rhône feeds Boats loaded with sand, Coal barges and Dockers in Arles, with different viewpoints and lights.
A composition taken up in the workshop
The museum notice indicates that this version and a related canvas were probably painted from memory in the workshop on Place Lamartine.
Presented in 1905
The work appeared under the title Zonsondergang in the major Van Gogh retrospective organized at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
The copy must preserve the opposition between the dark barges and the luminous Rhône, the legible silhouette of the three dockers and the vertical reflections of the city.
- The three dockers in silhouette
- The blue black shells
- The yellow-green Rhône
- The dark frieze of Arles
- The orange sky streaked with green
Work sheet
| Title | The Dockers in Arles, F438 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Vincent van Gogh (1853 -1890) |
| Date | August 1888 |
| Place of creation | Arles, quai du Rhône |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 54 × 65 cm |
| Inventory | F438 · JH1571 · 557 (1965.7) |
| Conservation | Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Madrid |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
From order to shipping
In your interior
A powerful sunset over the Rhône
The horizontal format gives a strong presence to a living room or office. Burnt orange, olive yellow, midnight blue and deep green create a spectacular contrast.
Frequently asked questions
Before ordering
Is this a canvas print?
No. Each reproduction is manually painted in oil on canvas. Brushstrokes and material variations belong to the final result.
How is the visual reference chosen?
The image of 2750 × 2294 px has been preserved at its native definition and encoded as a real WebP without artificial enlargement.
Can I check the result before shipping?
Yes. Photographs of the finished painting are sent to you; you can request alterations before validating the shipment.
Are custom formats possible?
Yes. The format can be adapted to your wall while maintaining the proportions and balance of the original composition.
