The Dunes at Etaples 1890

Eugène Boudin captured this coastal scene at Étaples in France using oil on canvas. Boudin, sometimes referred to as the ‘king of the skies’, was a key figure in mid-19th-century French landscape painting and he played an important role in the development of Impressionism. Boudin created meaning through his choice of subject matter, celebrating the everyday life of the French coast. His focus on landscapes and seascapes reflects a shift in artistic taste away from historical and mythological paintings towards a more direct and accessible representation of the world. His works are of the time, a time when artists, supported by dealers and critics, began to find value in painting unvarnished glimpses of ordinary life. Understanding Boudin's work involves looking at his social context, the rise of the middle class, and the growing interest in leisure and travel. Art historians use various resources, like exhibition reviews and collectors’ correspondence, to understand the historical and social meanings of a painting like this.