Pioneers & Pupils: Boudin and Monet

    "If I have become a painter, it is to Eugene Boudin that I owe it" (1) boasted Monet when he obtained recognition for his vast portfolio of magnificent pieces. How did their mutual influence impact the artistic movement? We cannot look at either artist's works without the context of the other. Truly, when the friends were exhibiting together, critics would identify the similarities between their works. Boudin (1824 - 1898) and Monet (1840 - 1926) partook in several adventures together, such as painting in cities like le Havre, their hometown, and Trouville, a posh beach in Normandy for the upper-middle class. Thus, they shared in subject matter. Boudin also introduced Monet to the practice of physically painting entire landscapes outside, immersed in the environment of the composition. This approach, en plein air, is a mark of Impressionism. Additionally, Boudin learned much from Monet. The French artist, who loved to depict light with subtle hints of color, was captivated by Monet's portrayal of objects in the context of the light that shines on them versus physical appearance. By their similar techniques, though Monet at the forefront, both artists were branded as impressionists. Boudin serves as a pioneer of the movement and a pedagogue for Claude Monet. Monet excelled as a leader and icon of impressionism and stewarded what he learned from Boudin in order to become a renowned painter. Come explore and analyze the comrades' works and share in their fascination of sky and sea.

Artist: Eugène Boudin (French, Honfleur 1824–1898 Deauville)

Title: Princess Pauline Metternich (1836–1921) on the Beach

Date: ca. 1865–67

Medium: Oil on cardboard, laid down on wood

Dimensions: 11 5/8 x 9 1/4 in. (29.5 x 23.5 cm)

Met Accession Number: 1999.288.1

    One of the beloved landscapes both artists frequented was the beaches at Trouville, Normandy, where many wealthy would come and vacation. Here he paints the wife of an Austrian ambassador. Boudin’s scenes of the upper-middle class, everyday life sparked controversy. He observed his physical reality in a way that contrasted the stylized, fabricated landscapes that were popular. This approach would later be adopted by Impressionists. The painting overall is unified by distinct brushstrokes and cool colors. So much of the composition is taken up by the sky. Boudin employed the sky in his landscapes as his most stirring subject matter. Claude Monet would follow suit.

Artist: Claude Monet

Title: The Beach at Trouville

Date made: 1870

Medium and support: Oil on canvas

Dimensions: 38 × 46.5 cm

Source: The National Gallery

   

    Monet learned to also delight in the beaches at Trouville. In fact, he often painted with Boudin en plein air. The subject of Monet’s painting is his wife, Camille. The woman in black is said to be Madame Boudin. The simplicity of the women’s faces, which resembles Boudin’s Princess Pauline Metternich (1836 – 1921) on the Beach, communicates that the artist desires for the “main attraction” of the composition to be the scene: the gorgeous beach. The faint warmness of the sand and the cloudy sky unify the composition. 

Artist: Eugène Boudin (French, Honfleur 1824–1898 Deauville)

Title: Village by a River

Date: probably 1867

Medium: Oil on wood

Dimensions: 14 x 23 in. (35.6 x 58.4 cm)

Met Accession Number: 59.140

    Boudin’s family was one of sailors and pilots. This is a large contributor to the painter’s innate love of the sea. Though Boudin would be nicknamed the “Le Roi aux Cieux”, the “King of Skies”, he also utilized the sea as his subject matter. His adoration is reflected in the care he takes to depict the glistening reflections of the village on the water. This tiny village, Le Faou, is on the coast of Brittany, where the artist painted often. This work is said to have been carried out on his first visit.

Artist: Claude Monet (French, Paris 1840–1926 Giverny)

Title: Houses on the Achterzaan

Date: 1871

Medium: Oil on canvas

Dimensions: 17 3/8 × 26 1/2 in. (44.1 × 67.3 cm)

Met Accession Number: 1975.1.196

    

    Monet received a recommendation to travel to the Netherlands for its clear water and skies. This painting has incredibly similar subject matter to Boudin’s Village by a River. However, when comparing Boudin and Monet’s paintings, Boudin’s seems like the original photograph and Monet’s appears to have a filter on it! This is because Monet limited himself to a color palette of varying shades of green. He uses this technique to communicate his perception of the light interacting with his surroundings. He was awestruck by the gorgeous landscapes of Zaandam, the town featured. When Boudin first stumbled upon Monet, the young upstart was making ends meet as a Caricaturist. Boudin acquainted Monet with a wonder for painting magnificent seascapes and coastal towns. 

Artist: Claude Monet

Title: Impression, Sunrise

Date: 1872

Media: oil, canvas

Location: Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris, France

Dimensions: 63 x 48 cm

Source: WikiArt Visual Art Encyclopedia

  The scene illustrated is the port of Le Havre, Monet and Boudin’s hometown. Boudin upon seeing this work was enchanted by Monet’s relation between light and the objects he paints. This well-known work of Monet’s was exhibited in April of 1874 in a show meant to retaliate against the mainstream artists of the day. Boudin’s works were also on exhibition. Impression, Sunrise stirred the crowds. Witnesses were appalled at Monet’s painting of the interaction between of light and atmosphere. The outrage branded the painters of the exhibition, Boudin included, as the “Impressionists.”  

 "If I do not have the merit to be classed among them (the great talents of the present) I, too, shall have had perhaps my very little share of influence in the movement which carries painting toward the study of strong light, of open air and of sincerity in the production of effects of sky. If many of those whom I have had the honor to show the way, like Claude Monet, were carried farther by their personal temperament, they shall no less owe me recognition, even as I myself have owed to those who have advised me and offered models to follow."  - Eugene Boudin (2)

(1) BENJAMIN, RUTH L. “EUGÈNE BOUDIN, KING OF SKIES.” The American Magazine of Art 23, no. 3 (1931): 193

(2) Dorothy Odenheimer. “Boudin, Forerunner of Impressionism.” Bulletin of the Art Institute of Chicago (1907-1951) 33, no. 5 (1939): 80.