Eugène Boudin

Galerie Cadart et Luquet, Paris
Borniche, Paris (sold: Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 3rd & 4th December 1883, lot 14)
Private Collection, France
Thence by descent to the present owner

Paris, Galerie Raphaël Gérard, Retrospective Eugène Boudin, 1937, no. 19
Paris, Galerie Schmit, Eugène Boudin, 1965, no. 11, illustrated in the catalogue

Georges Jean-Aubry, Eugène Boudin, Neuchâtel, 1968, illustrated p. 197 (titled Réunion sur la plage)
Robert Schmit, Eugène Boudin, Paris, 1973, vol. I, no. 297, illustrated p. 100

The panel is sound. Apart from a few very small spots of retouching at the extreme framing edges, visible under ultra-violet light, this work is in very good condition. Colours: Overall fairly accurate in the catalogue illustration, although slightly brigther and less heavy in the original.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Scène de plage à Trouville is a beautiful early example of Boudin's favourite subject, that of fashionably dressed figures on the beach of Trouville. Having settled in Paris after his marriage in 1863, throughout the 1860s and 1870s Boudin travelled every summer to Trouville, where he had found the inspiration to paint endless variations on the themes most dear to him. Jean Selz wrote: 'What fascinated Boudin at Trouville and Deauville 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 the harmony of the colours of the elegant clothes he found a contrast to the delicacy of the skies' (J. Selz, Eugène Boudin, New York, 1982, p. 57).

 

By the second half of the nineteenth century Trouville had become a fashionable summer retreat for the French aristocracy, and their colourful costumes provided a subject-matter to which Boudin returned throughout his career. Captivated by the picturesque dress of these elegant society figures, Boudin rendered them in quick, Impressionistic brushstrokes highlighted by bright blue and red tones. What fascinated the artist was the contrast between these densely grouped men and women and the expanses of the sky against which they are depicted. Boudin's interest in capturing the fleeting effects of sunlight on sumptuous fabrics and the effect of a windy day on the flowing garments, so masterfully explored in the present painting, was to have a profound influence on Impressionist artists.