Trouville, Beach Scene (Trouville, scène de plage), 1874. Eugène Boudin. Oil on wood panel. Gift of Henry W. and Marion H. Bloch.
A group of elegantly dressed tourists relax on the beach at Trouville on the Normandy coast. Beach scenes such as this were commercially successful for Eugène Boudin. His attitude toward his subjects, however, appears to have been ambivalent. On one occasion, he even described such gatherings of tourists as a “frightful masquerade.” Boudin chose to paint his outdoor scenes on small wood panels, which were more suited to the windy conditions of the beach. Lighter canvases tended to bend with the strong breeze.
