Provenance
Oscar Schmitz, Dresden and Zurich (died June 11, 1933) purchased in 1899 [according to Paris 1936]; Georges Wildenstein Galerie by 1936 [see Paris 1936 and Daniel Wildenstein, Yves Stavridès, Marchands d’art (Plon, 1999), p. 87]. The Hon. W.S. Phillips, London. Sale, Christie’s, July 7-11, 1961, lot 49 (ill.) to B. Lyons, London [according to Estelle Gittins at Christie's, London, phone conversation, March 6, 2001]; sale, Christie’s, London, July 9, 1965, lot 8A (ill.); sold to Creswell, London. Wildenstein and Co., New York; bought by Frank H. Woods, Lake Forest, Illinois, October 7, 1968; given to the Art Institute, 1980.
Accession Number
59823
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
55 × 74.5 cm (21 5/8 × 29 5/16 in.)
Classification
oil on canvas
Credit Line
Gift of Frank H. and Louise B. Woods
Background & Context
Background Story
Eugène Boudin's "La Touques near Deauville" (1883) is an oil on canvas depicting the Touques River near the fashionable seaside resort of Deauville on the Normandy coast. Boudin painted the Normandy coast throughout his career, capturing the changing light and weather of the Channel coast with extraordinary sensitivity. The Touques River flows through Deauville and Trouville before reaching the sea, and its banks provided Boudin with endless subjects. This painting shows the river with its characteristic landscape: perhaps boats, trees along the banks, the sky reflected in the water. Boudin's technique in this later work has become looser and more atmospheric, the brushwork more broken and impressionistic. The palette is fresh and luminous, with blues, greens, and soft grays creating a sense of coastal air and light. By 1883, Boudin was an established and respected painter, recognized as a master of marine landscape and an important influence on the younger generation of Impressionists.
Cultural Impact
Boudin's river landscapes of the Normandy coast document a region that was being transformed by tourism and the growth of seaside resorts, capturing the natural beauty that drew visitors from across Europe.
Why It Matters
This view of the Touques River captures the quiet beauty of the Normandy landscape, Boudin's sensitive handling of light and atmosphere conveying the freshness of the coastal air and the reflections of sky on water.
