Galerie Dreyfus
6
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EUGÈNE BOUDIN (HONFLEUR, 1824 – DEAUVILLE, 1898)
Dordrecht, …
See original version (French)
6
-
EUGÈNE BOUDIN (HONFLEUR, 1824 – DEAUVILLE, 1898)
Dordrecht, …
See original version (French)
Estimate €110,000 - €138,000
Voluntary lot
Description
EUGÈNE BOUDIN
(HONFLEUR, 1824 – DEAUVILLE, 1898)
Dordrecht, Mill on the Banks of the Meuse
1875
Oil on canvas
55 x 74 cm.
Signed lower right ‘E. Boudin’ and dated ‘Dordrecht 75’
Provenance
Former Beugniet Collection, Paris;
Wildenstein & Cie, New York;
Private collection;
Palais Galliera auction, Paris, 10 March 1970, lot 126;
Hôtel Rameau auction, Versailles, 9 June 1971, lot 114.
Publication
Robert Schmit, ‘Eugène Boudin, 1824–1898’, vol. I, Paris, 1973,
described and reproduced on p. 382, no. 1097.
Like a masterful pawn placed on nature’s chessboard, this mill with its bulging silhouette
proudly displays its sails. A black mass against a sky mottled with white clouds, it dominates the
banks of the Meuse, which widens here as it nears its mouth. Opposite, on the other bank, the town
of Dordrecht attempts to rival it by raising the massive, rectangular bell tower of its cathedral.
By choosing a very low vantage point, Eugène Boudin accentuates the sense of depth here,
stringing together the buildings like so many landmarks that punctuate the visual path. From the
grassy bank, which occupies the entire foreground, he makes the monumental windmill emerge, before
leading us across the expanse of the river to the tiny buildings on the
opposite bank. A few frail sailing boats glide along the waterway, reminding us of the river port activity
of the oldest Dutch city. However, once again, it is the sky that
takes centre stage, occupying three-quarters of the painting’s surface. Blue
in its expanse, it is traversed by an enormous mass of thick, cottony clouds, the very
texture of which Eugène Boudin possesses the secret to rendering. Various washed-out greys serve to
sculpt their volumes, lending them a tangible, almost palpable presence.
In 1859, he exhibited his first painting at the Salon, where he was noticed in particular by Baudelaire.
He met Courbet, Jongkind and then Monet, whom he would introduce to plein-air painting. As his
reputation grew, he turned his attention to more mundane subjects, reflecting the emergence of the first
seaside resorts, such as Deauville, Trouville and Juan-les-Pins. In 1874, he took part in the first
Impressionist exhibition at Nadar’s. Beyond scenes of everyday life,
sketched with vivacity and even a touch of the picturesque, his landscapes are composed with precision according to the laws of
perspective and a framing style influenced by the nascent art of photography. The figures,
secondary or even anecdotal, are set within a perspectival space where the viewer’s gaze is invited
to roam across vast expanses. But it was above all his treatment of light that earned him
the recognition of his peers, particularly for his skies. Corot, his elder, bestowed upon him the
laudatory title of ‘king of the skies’, whilst Baudelaire awarded him that of ‘painter of meteorological
beauties’.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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