SP 4778
EUGENE BOUDIN
Honfleur 1824 - 1898 Deauville
Venise, La Salute 
Signed and twice dated Venise 95 and 4 Juillet 95
Oil on panel: 10 ½ x 16 in / 26.7 x 40.6 cm
Framed size: 16 x 21 ¾ in / 40.6 x 55.2 cm
Provenance:
Simonson, Paris
Sale: Galerie Charpentier, Paris, 10th-11th June 1958, lot 240
Arthur Tooth & Sons, London
Lady Baillie, Leeds Castle, Kent
The Hon. Mrs Geoffrey Russell, Leeds Castle, Kent, by descent from the above
Private collection, by descent
Literature:
Georges Jean-Aubry, Eugène Boudin d'après les lettres et les documents inédits, Neuchâtel, 1968, illustrated p. 132
Robert Schmit, Eugène Boudin, 1824-1898, Paris, 1973, vol. III, no. 3130, illustrated p. 203
In a reproduction, carved and gilded Italian fluted frame
Frame size: 16 x 21 ¾ in / 40.5 x 52.5 cm
Eugène Boudin first visited Venice in 1892 returning briefly in 1894 before his prolonged stay during the summer of 1895 when he painted a number of views of the city. Jean Selz noted how Boudin 'painted The Salute and the Canal Grande, the Campanile and the Doge's Palace, San Giorgio Maggiore and the Giudecca, but he also portrayed the less familiar small canals, as well as the Riva degli Schiavoni complete with fishing boats and sailing ships, gondolas and even steamers of which he said they "stain the marble palaces". The style of painting differs little from Boudin's treatment of the French coast. There is the same spontaneity and delicacy and more surprisingly, the same range of colours. In the artist's eyes the skies of the Adriatic were very similar to the skies over the channel.' (Jean Selz, Eugène Boudin, Naefels, 1982, p. 84)
In a letter to Paul Durand-Ruel dated 20th June 1895 Boudin wrote: 'I am busy painting views of Venice, a superb town as I have no need to tell you, but somewhat disguised by the usual painters of the area who have to some extent disfigured it by making it appear as a region warmed by the hottest suns...Venice on the other hand, like all luminous regions is grey in colour, the atmosphere is soft and misty and the sky is decked with clouds just like the sky over Normandy or Holland.' (Jean Selz, ibid., p. 86)
The present painting, precisely dated by the artist, is painted from the steps of the Piazzetta looking across the Bacino to Santa Maria della Salute. Having made copies of Guardi’s paintings of Venice in the Louvre in the 1860s Boudin was fully aware of the rich tradition of Venetian topographical painting, Peter C. Sutton wrote of Boudin's Venetian paintings: 'these sparkling images of the ancient city and its monuments usually adopt a distant point of view in the tradition of Caneletto and Guardi, but are executed with a more animated touch that enlivens the sea and sky. Boudin's paintings of Venice apparently were well received; at the posthumous sale of the contents of his atelier in 1899, a Venetian painting fetched the highest price' (P. C. Sutton, Boudin: Impressionist Marine Paintings (exhibition catalogue), Peabody Museum of Salem, 1991, p. 78).
Venice, The Molo 1895
Art Gallery and Museum, Kelvingrove, Glasgow
EUGENE BOUDIN
Honfleur 1824 - 1898 Deauville
Eugène Boudin was one of the most important precursors of the Impressionists, his ever increasing critical acclaim rests on an unrivalled reputation as a master of beach and coastal scenes.
Born in Honfleur, Boudin was the son of a harbour pilot. In 1844, he opened a stationary and framing shop in Le Havre, where his clients included Thomas Couture, Eugène Isabey, Jean François Millet and Constant Troyon. Although Boudin had no academic training, he spent much time drawing, and the visiting painters greatly encouraged his innate artistic ability.
In 1847, Boudin went to Paris and devoted his attention to studying and copying Old Masters in the Louvre. In 1851, he was awarded a three year scholarship by the City of Le Havre. However, instead of pursuing indoor, academic studio work, Boudin was inspired by the idea of painting ' en plein air', and made a number of painting trips to Le Havre, Honfleur and other coastal towns in Northern France. He made his debut at the Salon in 1859, where his work was much admired by Charles Baudelaire and Gustave Courbet, and he was heralded by Corot as the 'king of the skies'.
It was Boudin who was to become Monet's first teacher, persuading him to paint out of doors, and in 1874, he was invited to participate in the first Impressionist exhibition.
He spent the rest of his career painting primarily around the coast of Le Havre, Honfleur and Trouville, inspired by the elegant society that peopled the sparkling coasts. Whilst painting at Trouville, he met the Dutch artist, Johan Barthold Jongkind, and, influenced by his boldness of technique, Boudin adopted a freer brushwork and brighter palette.
The exquisite sensibility of Boudin's work was recognised by the dealer Durand-Ruel, who organised exhibitions of his pictures in 1883, 1889, 1890 and 1891; in 1892, Boudin was awarded the Légion d'honneur.
Works by Eugène Boudin can be found in the many museums world wide including: The National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; The National Gallery, London; Musée d’Orsay, Paris; Musée du Louvre, Paris and The Hermitage, St Petersburg.