Eugène Boudin

Boudin, Eugene-Louis
French, 1824 - 1898

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This painting depicts a sandy beach under a vast, light blue sky. The horizon is in the center of the painting where the blue sky blends into the blue water. In the center of the painting, a group of women are on the beach, some standing and some seated. The women have light skin and wear clothing in shades of brown, dark blue, and red. They all wear headscarves covering their hair, mostly white except for one that is dark blue. Some of the women carry baskets, while others set them on the sandy ground. In the background, there are faint shapes near the shoreline created by small daubs of paint that suggest other people. The brushstrokes in the painting are thick and visible, especially those that create the shapes of the women. Small details are suggested with dashes and dots of paint instead of being shown clearly.
Eugène Boudin, Women on the Beach at Berck, 1881, oil on wood, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection, 1970.17.15

Women on the Beach at Berck

Eugène Boudin · 1881 · oil on wood ·  Accession ID  1970.17.15
About two dozen men and women sit in straight-backed, wooden chairs gathered along a sandy expanse around pockets of water under a slate-blue sky that fills the top two-thirds of this horizontal landscape painting. Most of the people sit with their backs to us but the faces we can see suggest they all have light skin. The people gather in a loose crowd that crosses the left two-thirds of the composition. The women wear dark hats and long dresses with full skirts, their shoulders wrapped in shawls in black, red, dark yellow, or cream white. The men also wear hats, most of them black bowler hats, and suits in black or pecan brown. A few women hold up blue parasols in harvest gold, slate blue, teal, or gray. Two women and a man sit on the sand to the right. Three changing huts stand behind the group across the left half, and two brown horses stand at the water’s edge nearby. Three poles march into the distance to the right near where more people gather across a pocket of water. The artist signed and dated the lower right corner, “E. Boudin – 65.”
Eugène Boudin, Bathing Time at Deauville, 1865, oil on wood, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1983.1.8

Bathing Time at Deauville

Eugène Boudin · 1865 · oil on wood ·  Accession ID  1983.1.8
About three dozen men and women sit, stand, or stroll along a sandy beach beneath a sunset-streaked sky in this horizontal landscape painting. The people are small in scale within the landscape, taking up about a quarter of the canvas's height. The scene is loosely painted so many of the facial features are indistinct, but the faces we can see have pale or olive-toned skin. The area closest to us is a strip of sand, and, a short distance away, a brown and white dog sits facing away from us to our left of center. The women all wear dresses with long sleeves, tight bodices, and ankle-length hoop skirts in shades of baby blue, smoke gray, butter yellow, chocolate brown, crimson red, black, or white. Some wear jackets, capes, or shawls, and veils flutter off some of their hats and bonnets. The men wear suits with long tails and rounded hats. Most of the people sit in wooden chairs, and a few stand or walk along the beach. The walking women carrying long sticks or canes. Smudges of ruby red, slate blue, and a touch of straw yellow could be the form of a child crouching in the sand, to our left. Two ladderback chairs sit near the crowd to our right. The horizon comes less than a quarter of the way up the composition. Thin screens of pale gray clouds above are touched on the undersides with petal pink, and they break to show peeks of soft yellow along the horizon and topaz blue a bit higher up.
Eugène Boudin, The Beach at Villerville, 1864, oil on canvas, Chester Dale Collection, 1963.10.4

The Beach at Villerville

Eugène Boudin · 1864 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1963.10.4
Eight men, women, and children stand or sit in straight-backed, wooden chairs gathered along a sandy beach near low, gently breaking waves with sailboats floating in the ocean beyond in this horizontal landscape painting. The scene is loosely painted throughout, making much of the detail indistinct. Most of the people sit with their backs to us but the faces we can see suggest they have light skin. The people gather in a loose crowd that spans the left half of the composition, except for one woman wearing white and holding a blue parasol who sits to the right. The women wear long dresses with full skirts in shades of black, aquamarine or arctic blue, or snowy white. They all wear straw-colored hats with royal-blue bands. The three men also wear hats and suits in black or pecan brown. Two women, in addition to the one sitting alone, hold up blue parasols. One child wears a white dress and hat, and the other wears shades of blue and a straw hat with a red band. A white dog with brown spots stands on our side of the chairs near a woman and the child wearing white. One tall, wooden pole with a blue banner rises high above the crowd near the left edge of the composition, and another with a red pennant is farther back to the right. Between the group and the water, a person rides a brown horse, several women walk, and two children play in the sand. A rowboat is near the breaking waves and five white sailboats line the horizon, which comes about a quarter of the way up this painting. A steamship leaves a line of muted lilac-purple smoke in the deep distance to the right. A blanket of pale gray clouds cover much of the bright blue sky. The artist signed the lower right corner, “E. Boudin.”
Eugène Boudin, Beach at Trouville, 1864/1865, oil on wood, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection, 1970.17.12

Beach at Trouville

Eugène Boudin · 1864/1865 · oil on wood ·  Accession ID  1970.17.12
A dozen men, women, and children walk, stand, or sit on a waterside wharf that spans this horizontal painting. A jetty stretches into the distance at a right angle, starting to the left of center. Dozens more people pack the jetty. The people close to us all appear to have pale skin. The men wear suits and hats in brown or black, and the women wear long hoop skirts, capes, and hats, some with veils, in shades of sky blue, red, gray, or mustard yellow. A man and woman sit on an ice-blue bench near a solitary streetlamp at the center of the composition. A small brown dog runs toward the bench from the right, and a black and white dog sniffs the ground to the left. Facing away from us, a man and woman lean onto a white fence at the water’s edge near the entry to the jetty. A dock is across a strip of topaz-blue water, where a sailboat kicks up some white ripples. Two flag-topped masts rise beyond the crowded jetty, and a steampipe between them pours charcoal-gray smoke into the pale blue sky. Paler gray clouds line the top edge of the painting, and a loose band of white clouds lines the horizon, which comes about a quarter of the way up the composition. The scene is loosely painted so people’s features and many details are indistinct. The artist signed and dated the lower right, corner, “E. Boudin. 63.”
Eugène Boudin, Jetty and Wharf at Trouville, 1863, oil on wood, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1983.1.9

Jetty and Wharf at Trouville

Eugène Boudin · 1863 · oil on wood ·  Accession ID  1983.1.9
The painting shows a beach scene with several people gathered on the shore. The people are gathered between four white tent-like structures in the center of the painting. All the people are elaborately dressed in colorful gowns or suits, with many wearing hats or holding parasols. Behind the group is the ocean, with a few people swimming on the left. The color scheme includes earthy tones for the sand and beach huts, and brighter colors like whites, blacks, blues, and reds for the people's clothing. The sky is predominantly painted in soft blues and grays with some wispy white clouds.
Eugène Boudin, Beach Scene, 1862, oil on wood, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1983.1.13

Beach Scene

Eugène Boudin · 1862 · oil on wood ·  Accession ID  1983.1.13
The image shows a waterfront scene with a ship close to us, its masts outlined against the sky. The horizon is low in the composition, with the ship forming a silhouette against the background. The artwork uses etching techniques with intricate details and shading. The color palette is sepia, emphasizing the contrast between the ship and the sky and water. Other boats with sails are visible in the distance on the right side, and trees are on the left.
Eugène Boudin, Marine View, 1898, published 1900, etching on wove paper, Gift of Gaillard F. Ravenel and Frances P. Smyth-Ravenel, 2000.7.7

Marine View

Eugène Boudin · 1898, published 1900 · etching on wove paper ·  Accession ID  2000.7.7
This painting shows a harbor with sailing ships displaying countless colorful flags. The ships stretch across the painting horizontally, floating on clear, reflective water. They don't appear to have any sails up, but their tall brown masts support rows of flags stretching from the highest point all the way to the deck. The water reflects the flags, adding to the vibrant atmosphere. The color palette includes light blues and whites in the sky, contrasted by the vivid red, yellow, black, white, and blue of the flags on the ships. The brushstrokes are loose and visible, creating a sense of movement.
Eugène Boudin, Yacht Basin at Trouville-Deauville, probably 1895/1896, oil on wood, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection, 1970.17.16

Yacht Basin at Trouville-Deauville

Eugène Boudin · probably 1895/1896 · oil on wood ·  Accession ID  1970.17.16
This painting shows a coastal scene with a rocky tan cliff on the left side extending down to the blue sea. The horizon is in the middle of the painting, with a bright, slightly cloudy blue sky above the sea. On the beach, a chaotic collection of dots and dashes of paint in white, black, blue, red, yellow, and pink indicate a large group of people gathered at the edge of the water. Many of the people appear to have white caps or bonnets on their heads. Behind the group of people, more smears of color suggest bundles on the beach, perhaps piles of cloth. Small gray and white boats drift on the water in the distance. The painting style is loose and expressive, with lines of color overlapping with one another. Details are suggested with dots and dashes of paint instead of being depicted clearly.
Eugène Boudin, Washerwomen on the Beach of Etretat, 1894, oil on wood, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection, 1970.17.17

Washerwomen on the Beach of Etretat

Eugène Boudin · 1894 · oil on wood ·  Accession ID  1970.17.17
This painting shows a beach scene with people gathered on the sandy shore, facing away from us, looking towards the water. The horizon is in the center of the image, with the pale green-blue sea meeting the slightly darker blue sky. A white sailboat is visible in the distance. Closer to us, people are seen sitting or standing on the tan sand, some under a striped red-and-white canopy or sitting on brown chairs. The people are depicted with minimal detail, composed of streaks of paint that suggest dresses in shades of gray, white, yellow, and black, and hats in shades of black, white, yellow, and red. They appear to be mostly women and children with light skin. The brushwork is loose and visible, with thick strokes of different colors overlapping and blending, giving the scene a hazy and blurred appearance. The sand contains short horizontal streaks of red, brown, tan, and yellow, while the sky and sea have many shades of blue, gray, and white. A line of text has been written in black at the bottom of the painting.
Eugène Boudin, On the Beach, 1894, oil on wood, Chester Dale Collection, 1963.10.6

On the Beach

Eugène Boudin · 1894 · oil on wood ·  Accession ID  1963.10.6