Boats du Rhône

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Boats du Rhône is a Van Gogh series from August 1888, created while he lived in Arles, France. It includes two sketches and three oil paintings. The works depict boats on the Rhône seen from a quay, with Van Gogh describing a purplish-pink pair of boats and very green water, and a workman unloading sand.

Two sketches
- Quay with Sand Barges, Sketch — pen with reed pen, 48.0 cm × 62.5 cm (18.9 in × 24.6 in), 1888. Location: The Smithsonian, New York City.
- Quay with Sand Barges (small letter drawing) — noted in a letter from Van Gogh, 1888. Location: (various collections in context of the series)

Three oil paintings
- Quay with Sand Barges — oil on canvas, 55.0 cm × 66.0 cm (21.7 in × 26.0 in), 1888. Location: Museum Folkwang, Essen.
- Coal Barges — oil on canvas, 71.0 cm × 95.0 cm (28.0 in × 37.4 in), 1888. Location: Private Collection, Maryland.
- Men Unloading Coal Barges — oil on canvas, 54.0 cm × 64.0 cm (21.3 in × 25.2 in), 1888. Location: Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Madrid.

Context
Scholars think Van Gogh split the subject into two studies because a high vantage point and a sunset are hard to combine in one image. The large, detailed drawing and the paintings show how he explored color and composition, with possible nods to Delacroix in the dramatic contrasts.