Van Gogh was making his first forays into a career as an artist. In September 1881 he sought the professional advice of Anton Mauve, a respected artist working in The Hague who was related to Van Gogh through marriage, and he was very pleased with Mauve's response. Van Gogh said in a letter to his brother Theo that he had seen many beautiful things in Mauve's studio and that his own drawings had seemed to interest Mauve quite a bit. Mauve encouraged Van Gogh not only to keep drawing but to take up the brush as well.

Mauve's emphasis on the value of working from life became a central tenet for Van Gogh. In later years Van Gogh would continue to copy other artists' works, particularly Millet's, but life itself became his subject. In a letter of 1882 he expressed his opinion that observed reality was more fertile and enlivening than pictures. He was convinced that nature had to be the core and impetus for an artist. In late 1881 Van Gogh moved to The Hague from Etten, where he had been living with his parents. He had experienced mounting tensions with his parents, who disapproved of his chosen career. He may also have suffered a lingering grief over unrequited love for a cousin. Moving to The Hague was pivotal, for it marks the first major phase in Van Gogh's life as an artist.

The Hague was a rich and important artistic community at the time. This early seascape by Van Gogh shown above represents the nearby coast at Scheveningen. It is composed of horizontal bands, descending back into space. Unlike the many bold, daring compositions of the impressionists, who were trying new vantage points and new angles, this work reveals Van Gogh's simple approach. It is straightforward and direct, honest and real, reflecting his own emotions, his own observation. Van Gogh did not want to be coy; he wanted to create art that was accessible. In this painting, among his earliest, one can appreciate this directness.