Harbor of Brest
Eugène Louis Boudin, Harbor of Brest, 1870, oil on canvas, Bequest of Charles Francis Adams, public domain, 43.8.1
This work is not currently on view.
- Title
Harbor of Brest
- Artist
- Date
1870
- Period
Impressionist
- Medium
oil on canvas
- Dimensions (H x W x D)
display: 18 1/2 in x 26 in x 3/4 in
- Inscriptions & Markings
signature; date: E. Boudin 70, brushed, lower left
- Collection Area
European Art
- Category
Paintings
- Object Type
painting
- Culture
French
- Credit Line
Bequest of Charles Francis Adams
- Accession Number
43.8.1
- Copyright
public domain
- Terms
Eugène Boudin devoted his life to painting scenes of the ocean, harbors, and coastal towns of Brittany and Normandy. These works recorded the socio-economic shift of these towns from fishing to tourism, and were popular as souvenirs with French and British clients. In works such as Harbor of Brest, Boudin demonstrates his interest in the gradations of light seen in the coastal sky. He considered his spontaneous paintings finished—more powerful and immediate—than compositions labored over in the studio. As Claude Monet's first teacher, Boudin had a profound influence on the young artist, encouraging him to study nature and to paint out of doors. Monet, himself, later wrote: "It was like the rending of a veil...I grasped what painting could be...If I have indeed become a painter, I owe it to Eugène Boudin."
- Exhibitions
1942 Fiftieth Anniversary Exhibition: 1892-1942 Portland Art Museum
1980 The Phillips Taste in Portland Portland Art Museum
1998 Essay on Impressionism Portland Art Museum