Le Havre
1883
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 52.39 × 72.87 cm (20 5/8 × 28 11/16 in.) framed: 83.19 × 103.51 × 10.8 cm (32 3/4 × 40 3/4 × 4 1/4 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CF
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Corcoran Collection (Edward C. and Mary Walker Collection)
Accession Number
2015.19.58
Art Historical Context
Eugène Boudin *Le Havre* (1883) captures the bustling port city of Le Havre, a vital hub on France’s Normandy coast, through the artist’s masterful touch. Born nearby in Honfleur in 1824, Boudin was a of plein-air painting, often working directly from nature to seize fleeting atmospheric effects. This oil on canvas, measuring about 52 x 73 cm, likely evokes the harbor’s lively energy—ships, sails billowing in the breeze, and expansive skies that Boudin adored—rendered with his signature loose brushwork and luminous color. As a precursor to Impressionism, Boudin profoundly influenced Claude Mo...
About the Artist
Eugène Boudin · 1824–1898
Eugène Louis Boudin was born on July 12, 1824, in Honfleur, Normandy, the son of a harbor pilot. When his family relocated to Le Havre, his father opened a stationery and picture-framing shop, and it was there that the young Boudin first encountered working artists. Artists such as Constant Troyon and Jean-François Millet recognized his talent and urged him toward a career in art. In 1850, a munic...