Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
madeabigimpressiononthefatherofImpressionismbyintroducingMonettothepractice
ofpainting outside. This collection ofBoudin'spaintings—which the artist gave to his ho-
metown—shows how his technique developed, from realistic portrayals of subjects (out-
lines colored in, like a coloring book) to masses of colors catching light (Impressionism).
Boudin's beach scenes, showing aristocrats taking a healthy saltwater dip, helped fuel that
style. His skies were good enough to earn him the nickname “King of Skies.”
Eugène Boudin (1824-1898)
Born in Honfleur, Boudin was the son of a harbor pilot. As an amateur teenage
artist, he found work in an art-supply store that catered to famous artists from Paris
(such as Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot and Jean-François Millet) who came to paint
the seaside. Boudin studied art in Paris but kept his hometown roots. Thanks to his
Paris connections, Boudin's work was exhibited at the Paris salons.
At age 30 Boudin met the teenage Claude Monet. Monet had grown up in
nearbyLeHavre,and,likeBoudin,sketchedtheworldaroundhim—beaches,boats,
and small-town life. Boudin encouraged him to don a scarf, set up his easel out-
doors, and paint the scene exactly as he saw it. Today, we say: “Well, duh!” But
“open-air”paintingwasunorthodoxforartiststrainedtothoroughlystudytheirsub-
jectsintheperfectlightingofacontrolledstudiosetting.Boudindidn'tteachMonet
as much as give him the courage to follow his artistic instincts.
In the 1860s and 1870s, Boudin spent summers at his farm (St. Siméon) on the
outskirts of Honfleur, hosting Monet, Edouard Manet, and other hangers-on. They
taught Boudin the Impressionist techniques of using bright colors and building a
subject with many individual brushstrokes. Boudin adapted those “strokes” to build
subjects with “patches” of color. In 1874, Boudin joined the renegade Impression-
ists at their “revolutionary” exhibition in Paris.
Third Floor (Hambourg/Rachet Collection):
Follow the steps that lead from the
Boudin room to the small Hambourg/Rachet collection (and a smashing painting of Hon-
fleur at twilight). In 1988, André Hambourg and his wife, Nicole Rachet, donated their art
tothismuseum.Thecollection isenjoyablyImpressionistic, butlargelyfromthemid-20th
century.
Third Floor (Salle Katia Granoff):
Retrace your steps back to the main stairway to
reachtheotherthird-floorroom,whereyou'llfindaworthwhilecollectionof20th-century
works by artists who lived and learned in Honfleur. Find the few paintings by Raoul Dufy
