Beach Scene 1885

This painting, Beach Scene, was likely made in France by Eugène Boudin, using oil on canvas. This was the typical toolkit for a painter in the mid-19th century, but what Boudin does with it is distinctive. He wasn't interested in the kind of highly polished finish that was still prized at the time. Look closely, and you will see that it is built up from rapid strokes of paint. The figures are lightly sketched; Boudin was more interested in capturing the atmosphere of the beach. The clothing of the figures is of course a kind of material as well, signaling their bourgeois status. The beach itself, newly accessible thanks to the expansion of railways, was where people went to see and be seen. Boudin's quick, informal approach reflects a shift away from the highly finished academic style, and toward a more direct engagement with everyday life. While the work is an oil painting, one of the ‘high arts,’ Boudin applies it in such a way that evokes a sense of labor and time, allowing the viewer to appreciate the artistry involved.