Etaples

Eugene-Louis Boudin 1824 - 1898

Summary

In the late-19th century, the fishing village of Etaples, near Le Touquet in the Pas-de-Calais, was also home to a thriving colony of artists. In this late work by Boudin, which shows great freedom of handling, the beach at Etaples is depicted as a thriving working environment, busy with fishermen and tourists or local onlookers. Born in Honfleur, the son of a ship's captain, Boudin spent much of his career painting on the coast of Normandy, capturing the changing effects of light on water. His experimental treatment of light and atmosphere was influential for the development of Impressionism, but he drew inspiration from it too. He used a more subdued palette than many of the young Impressionists, however, which ensured that his work was more readily acceptable, particularly to audiences in Britain. Boudin exhibited regularly at the Salon from 1863 to 1897, and at the First Impressionist Exhibition of 1874.