Coastal Landscape with Shipping; Windmill in Distance c. 1858

Eugène Boudin rendered this coastal landscape with shipping and a distant windmill in pencil. Boudin, living in France during a time of immense social change, painted primarily en plein air, capturing slices of life. In this drawing, the sea and sky blend together with a subtle, melancholic energy that speaks to his unique perspective. Boudin was known for his depictions of the bourgeoisie enjoying leisure time on the beach; however, this seascape captures the life of the working class instead. The sailboats, and the windmill reference the labor of ordinary people. Boudin once said that, "When painted directly from nature, the most ordinary scenes possess a grandeur that one looks for in vain in the studio.” His focus on maritime scenes, particularly the Channel ports of France, reflects the growing industrialization and trade of the era. His seascapes reflect a world of change, labor, and the human connection to nature.