The Beach at Etretat

The fishing boats have been drawn ashore at the little town of Etretat on the Normandy coast. Local fishermen are mending nets and cleaning traps. But Eugène Boudin is not seeking to portray the life of the people. As a French plein air painter, he is interested in nature and in how its changing light and colour can be transformed into the stuff of painting. The artist works in subdued shades so that the difference between the bluish grey sky and the greenish grey ocean becomes almost indistinguishable. However, a few splashes of red and white, the fishermen’s caps and the sails on the boats provide a certain sense of drama in the picture.