This course explores Provence as a place whose extraordinary light, landscape, and cultural depth have inspired artists across centuries. We begin in Nice with Marc Chagall, whose museum presents radiant biblical scenes shaped by color, memory, and modern vision. From there, we visit Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s final years in Cagnes-sur-Mer, where southern light informed his late style despite physical hardship. The series then turns to the Basilica of Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume, exploring Mary Magdalene — arguably the second most depicted female figure in Western painting after the Virgin Mary — and her lasting presence in Provençal history. We conclude with Vincent van Gogh’s transformative years in Arles and Saint-Rémy.