A Calm

Eugene-Louis Boudin (imitator of) 1824 - 1898

Summary

A huge bright, clouded sky dominates in this seascape by an imitator of Boudin. In the left foreground, two men in a rowing boat by a jetty bob on the calm sea, while on the right, a rowing boat pulls a sailing vessel to anchor. A red jacket in the rowing boat hints at the presence of a person of importance, although the colours of a captain or admiral in the French navy were dark grey or blue, so this is likely to be eye-catching poetic licence. 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.