Lot Essay
This work will be included in the forthcoming Eugène Boudin catalogue raisonné being prepared by Manuel Schmit.
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Property from the family of Claude Monet
Eugène Boudin (1824-1898)
Marine
Details
Eugène Boudin (1824-1898)
Marine
industinctly stamped with initials 'E.B' (Lugt 828; lower right)
pencil on paper
4 1/8 x 5 ½ in. (11 x 14 cm.)
Marine
industinctly stamped with initials 'E.B' (Lugt 828; lower right)
pencil on paper
4 1/8 x 5 ½ in. (11 x 14 cm.)
Provenance
Claude Monet, Giverny.
Michel Monet, Giverny (by descent from the above).
Rolande Verneiges, France (gift from the above).
By descent from the above to the present owner.
Michel Monet, Giverny (by descent from the above).
Rolande Verneiges, France (gift from the above).
By descent from the above to the present owner.
Further Details
In a letter to François Thiébault-Sisson dated from the 19 November 1900, Monet wrote “from my earliest childhood I loved to draw (...) refusing to be taught, I never followed any studies or entered any studios. (...) while still very young I was fortunate enough to meet the painter Eugène Boudin, who opened up my eyes to nature and gave me a love of her”.
Monet first met Boudin in Le Havre during the 1850’s, and quickly developed a close friendship with the artist. Considered one of the most radical pastel-makers of the day, Boudin’s sky studies first came to the attention of the Parisian art world in 1859, earning him the moniker “the king of skies”. Charles Baudelaire, writing abut the artist’s work, made no attempt to hide his great admiration for the “prodigious enchantments of air and water” in Boudin’s pastels (J. A. Ganz and R. Kendall., quoted in op. cit., p. 62), while also noting their accuracy as “records of meteorological effects” (C. Baudelaire quoted in La Revue Française, June 1859).
Feeling an immediate connection with Boudin, Monet quickly began to absorb the teachings of his mentor, experimenting with similar subject matter and media, and exploring the fleeting effects of different atmospheric conditions in his work. Largely self-taught, like Monet himself, Boudin was prodigious in his use of the graphic medium, making many hundreds of informal studies in his sketchbooks and on independent sheets, as well as a number of elaborated, signed and sometimes inscribed compositions (lots 106 to 114) that clearly illustrate the artist’s modernity. The watercolors in Monet’s collection are typical examples of the unique taste and style of Boudin, who was such an assiduous painter of beaches, harbours and piers.
Monet first met Boudin in Le Havre during the 1850’s, and quickly developed a close friendship with the artist. Considered one of the most radical pastel-makers of the day, Boudin’s sky studies first came to the attention of the Parisian art world in 1859, earning him the moniker “the king of skies”. Charles Baudelaire, writing abut the artist’s work, made no attempt to hide his great admiration for the “prodigious enchantments of air and water” in Boudin’s pastels (J. A. Ganz and R. Kendall., quoted in op. cit., p. 62), while also noting their accuracy as “records of meteorological effects” (C. Baudelaire quoted in La Revue Française, June 1859).
Feeling an immediate connection with Boudin, Monet quickly began to absorb the teachings of his mentor, experimenting with similar subject matter and media, and exploring the fleeting effects of different atmospheric conditions in his work. Largely self-taught, like Monet himself, Boudin was prodigious in his use of the graphic medium, making many hundreds of informal studies in his sketchbooks and on independent sheets, as well as a number of elaborated, signed and sometimes inscribed compositions (lots 106 to 114) that clearly illustrate the artist’s modernity. The watercolors in Monet’s collection are typical examples of the unique taste and style of Boudin, who was such an assiduous painter of beaches, harbours and piers.
Brought to you by
Elaine Holt