Eugene Boudin was born on July 12, 1824 in Honfleur - Normandy, France. He was one of the first French landscape painters to paint outdoors.

Biography and Career :

Eugene Boudin was born in Honfleur, the son of a harbour pilot. From his adolescence he worked in an art supplies shop in Le Havre and drew in his spare time. The artists who visited the city, in particular Corot, Isabey, Troyon and Millet, gave him valuable help and advice. The municipality of Le Havre granted him a three-year scholarship to study in Paris. Boudin first exhibited at the 1859 Salon and then at the 1863 Salon des Refuses. After his return to Le Havre he spent many summers on the farm of SaintSimeon, in the environs of Honfleur, together with a group of landscape painters including Jongkind, Bazille and Claude Monet. This group is often called the School of Saint-Simeon as distinct from the Barbizon School. Boudin travelled widely in Normandy and Brittany, and visited Holland, Belgium and Venice. Wherever he went, he invariably painted harbour and beach scenes with numerous strolling figures. He was fascinated by towns and seaside resorts of FranceCamaret-sur-Mer, Bordeaux, Deauville, Trouvillewith their humid climate and shimmering, diffused light.

In the 1850s Boudin met Claude Monet and did much to help the young painter find his true artistic self. In the 1860s he frequently saw Edouard Manet and worked with him in Boulogne and Deauville. In the 1870s the Impressionists, in their turn, began to exert an influence on Boudin. His landscapes of that period are filled with a constantly changing iridescent light; his palette grows lighter and the brushstrokes assume the aspect of soft, blurred patches of colour.

In 1874 Boudin took part in the First Impressionist Exhibition. He also frequently exhibited with the Impressionists later.

Quotes :

- "Anything painted directly, on the spot, always has a strength, a power, a lively touch that is lost in the studio. Your first impression is the right one. Stick to it and refuse to budge."

Trivia :

- In 1857 Boudin met the young Claude Monet.

- He visited Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Venice, Italy.

- It is estimated that around 1000 paintings by Boudin are available today in either public museums or in private collections.
_{Eugene Boudin Image : Courtesy of Don Kurtz, Art Renewal Center.}

---

Tags: 1824, normandy, france, painter, impressionism	[edit tags]

---

Category: Painters  - ( Painters Archive)

Date Added: 13 August '07

---

Add a link to this page on any related website, blog or forum using this code :

---