Van Gogh in

Entrepot

When Vincent arrived in Antwerp, he had to temporarily deposit his possessions at the royal customs house. He was able to retrieve them after a few days. The docks and quays would remain one of Vincent’s favourite areas of the city to walk in. He wrote enthusiastically to his brother:

“Well, these docks are one huge Japonaiserie, fantastic, singular, strange — at least, one can see them like that. I’d like to walk with you there to find out whether we look at things the same way. One could do anything there, townscapes — figures of the most diverse character — the ships as the central subject with water and sky in delicate grey — but above all — Japonaiseries. I mean, the figures there are always in motion, one sees them in the most peculiar settings, everything fantastic, and interesting contrasts keep appearing of their own accord. A white horse in the mud, in a corner where heaps of merchandise lie covered with a tarpaulin — against the old, black, smoke-stained walls of the warehouse. Quite simple — but a Black and White effect.’’ Read the complete letter

Especially after taking long walks to farm villages on the sandy moorland, Vincent found the sight of the docks to offer an “interesting contrast”.