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Lot Essay
Boudin's paintings at the beach of Trouville helped establish his reputation. A precursor of Impressionism, Boudin may have been encouraged by Baudelaire's appeal for a 'painter of modern life'. Indeed, in his own words Boudin summarised the tenets of Impressionism: 'Everything painted directly on the spot has a strength, vigour and vivacity of touch that can never be attained in the studio. Three brushstrokes from nature are worth more than two days in the studio at the easel.' (quoted in exh. cat., The Birth of Impressionism, from Constable to Monet, Glasgow, 1997, p. 23). It was this extraordinary skill, best expressed in his freely painted Trouville views, which so inspired Monet, who had known the artist for many years, when he stayed in the town, painting alongside Boudin in 1870.
It is easy to imagine Boudin sitting on his folding chair in a secluded corner of the beach facing the portable easel which he used to paint outside. He would study and capture quickly in paint the many elegant Parisians strolling along the fashionable beaches of Trouville in the summer months.
Throughout his life Boudin worked incessantly and resolutely in his struggle to transcribe what he called 'the simple beauties of nature'. Single-mindedly, he dedicated his art and his life to paint the coasts and the beaches of his native Normandy. In the nineteenth century, Paul Huet and Eugne-Gabriel Isabey painted the very same beaches of the Normandy coast that Boudin favoured. In fact, Isabey, whom Boudin met in Le Havre in 1845, has often been credited as being the influence who first persuaded Boudin to paint the fashionable bathers at Trouville. However, though each artist depicted a similar subject in their works, Boudin carried his artistic interests much further.
His aim remained constant, as he sought to capture harmoniously the unparalleled beauty of nature as a whole. 'Sometimes when I'm out walking, in a melancholy frame of mind, I look at this light which floods the earth, which quivers on the water and plays on clothes and it is frightening to think how much genius is required to capture so many difficulties, how limited a man's spirit is, not being able to input all these things together in his head. And then again I sense that the poetry is there and sense how to capture it. I sometimes catch a glimpse of what would have to be expressed' (ibid, p. 90).
The present painting is unusual amongst fine crinolines pictures in the sense that it was bought directly from Boudin by a member of the present family and has never been publicly exhibited since its purchase.
It is easy to imagine Boudin sitting on his folding chair in a secluded corner of the beach facing the portable easel which he used to paint outside. He would study and capture quickly in paint the many elegant Parisians strolling along the fashionable beaches of Trouville in the summer months.
Throughout his life Boudin worked incessantly and resolutely in his struggle to transcribe what he called 'the simple beauties of nature'. Single-mindedly, he dedicated his art and his life to paint the coasts and the beaches of his native Normandy. In the nineteenth century, Paul Huet and Eugne-Gabriel Isabey painted the very same beaches of the Normandy coast that Boudin favoured. In fact, Isabey, whom Boudin met in Le Havre in 1845, has often been credited as being the influence who first persuaded Boudin to paint the fashionable bathers at Trouville. However, though each artist depicted a similar subject in their works, Boudin carried his artistic interests much further.
His aim remained constant, as he sought to capture harmoniously the unparalleled beauty of nature as a whole. 'Sometimes when I'm out walking, in a melancholy frame of mind, I look at this light which floods the earth, which quivers on the water and plays on clothes and it is frightening to think how much genius is required to capture so many difficulties, how limited a man's spirit is, not being able to input all these things together in his head. And then again I sense that the poetry is there and sense how to capture it. I sometimes catch a glimpse of what would have to be expressed' (ibid, p. 90).
The present painting is unusual amongst fine crinolines pictures in the sense that it was bought directly from Boudin by a member of the present family and has never been publicly exhibited since its purchase.