Van Gogh described with joy and excitement his visit to the Mediterranean fishing village of Sainte-Maries in southeastern France where he spent days drawing and painting. The intricate network of boats that were disposed of along the beach beside one another had a typical pattern in Van Gogh's vision. However, beachgoers in Thuwal on the Red Sea coast in western Saudi Arabia do not share such impressionist ideas. They see the large number of out-of-service boats lining the shore as an eyesore and a blot on the reputation of their Hejazi village.
