Scanned from a slide. Color corrected by Pat Cagney.

Beached Boats at Berck

Artist Eugène Boudin (French, 1824 - 1898)

Date1879

MediumOil on canvas

Dimensions59 x 32 1/4 in. (149.9 x 81.9 cm)
Overall, Frame: 47 x 73 x 5 in. (119.4 x 185.4 x 12.7 cm)

ClassificationsEuropean art

Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.

Object number77.343

Terms

Boats
Beach
Blue
White
Yellow
Tan
Red

Collections

European Art before 1945

On View

On view

DescriptionThis is an oil on canvas painting depicting the shore at Berck-sur-Mer, a small village along the English Channel between Dieppe and Calais. Fishermen eat lunch and repair boats while their vessels are temporarily beached by a receding tide. The two boats in the center mid-ground and the background are divided between sand and sky. In the left background there are several boats in the water. There is also a horse and buggy coming towards the viewer. On the right, in the mid-ground next to the beached boats are groups of men and women. Some are around a smoking fire. Portions of buildings, perhaps a home, are visible in the right background. The palette is very pale; blues, grays and beige predominate with mere spots of red, part of a mid-ground woman's wardrobe.

Label TextEugène Boudin French, 1824–1898 Beached Boats at Berck, 1879 Oil on canvas The air is heavy, humid, and hazy as Norman fishermen rest by their boats. Some repair their craft, temporarily beached by the receding tide, while others take a midday meal. Celebrated as “the king of skies,” Eugène Boudin had a unique ability to depict specific atmospheric conditions. As the critic Charles Baudelaire marveled, one easily knows “the very season, the time of day, and the wind” in Boudin’s work. Here, the weather evokes a languid mood that encourages us to stay and look a little longer. Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 77.343