Rotterdam, the Pont de la Bourse 1876

Eugène Boudin created this oil on canvas painting of Rotterdam's Pont de la Bourse, using methods that link the open air with the studio. Boudin's brushstrokes, visible throughout, give the impression that we are looking at a rapidly executed impression. But consider what it took to make this image. Linen canvas was a major industrial product by the mid-19th century, woven in factories by a newly urbanized working class. The pigments, too, would have been processed and mixed with oil in a studio or factory setting. Boudin applied these materials with considerable skill to capture the atmosphere and light of the port city. Notice how he is using the reflection to show the vibrancy of the buildings. This wasn't just about documentation. It was about capturing a fleeting moment, an impression, yet doing so with the tools and materials of modern industry. This is why Boudin’s painting is so compelling: it bridges the old world of handcraft with the new world of mass production.