Eugène Boudin

Sale: Hôtel Drouot, Paris, June 19, 1934, lot 32
Galerie Schmit, Paris
Mr. & Mrs. Saul Horowitz, New York
Sale: Sotheby's, London, December 1, 1987, lot 4
Richard Green Fine Paintings, London
Private American Collection

New York, Hirschl & Adler Galleries, Eugène Boudin, 1824-1898,
no. 59, illustrated in the catalogue

Robert Schmit, Eugène Boudin, 1824-1898, vol. III, Paris, 1973,
no. 3252, illustrated p. 248

Good condition. Panel is stable. Surface retains a rich impasto. Under UV light, scattered dots of inpainting along the top left and right edges to address frame abrasion, as well as scattered spots in upper left sky. Other strokes of older inpainting flouresce at upper left corner, between the two cabanas and in three dots at sky in upper right. Otherwise fine.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Villers, Scène de plage epitomizes the wonderful freshness of Boudin's plein-airisme. The artist himself wrote: "Everything painted on the spot has a strength, vigor 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 The Birth of Impressionism, from Constable to Monet, Glasgow, 1997, p. 23). He later added: "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'' (quoted in ibid., p. 90).

Boudin's lively depictions of populated beaches provide insight into the leisure activities of 19^th century France. The present work depicts a day at the shore in Villers, situated near the mouth of the river La Touques in Normandy. Jean Selz has written how Boudin was fascinated by the aesthetic possibilities of depicting people on the beach: "What fascinated Boudin... was not so much the sea and ships but the groups of people sitting on the sand or strolling along the beach: fine ladies in crinolines twirling their parasols, pompous gentlemen in top hats, children and little dogs playing on the sand. In harmony of the colors of the elegant clothes he found a contrast to the delicacy of the skies" (Jean Selz, Eugène Boudin, New York, 1982, p. 57). Boudin rendered the elegant society figures in quick, Impressionist brushstrokes that imbue the windswept scene with a sense of movement and activity. His interest in capturing the fleeting effects of sunlight on sumptuous fabrics and the effect of a windy day on the flowing garments was to have a profound influence on Impressionist artists. Léon Le Clerc, director of the Honfleur Museum, noted on observing Boudin applying the first spots of color to a canvas: "The water quivered and the clouds raced across the sky. He had a synthetic manner of working, truly marvelous... We find here all the technique of Impressionism of which Boudin was really the father, and which he employed with a mastery that has never been surpassed" (quoted in Ruth L. Benjamin, Eugène Boudin, New York, 1937, p. 106).