Eugène Boudin, 1824 Honfleur – 1898 Deauville FOIRE... Lot 626

Eugène Boudin, 1824 Honfleur – 1898 Deauville FOIRE EN BRETAGNE, circa 1865 - 70 Oil on wood. 29,8 x 41 cm. Signed lower right "E. Boudin". In gilt neo-baroque frame. Stretcher with old label with number 36, naming the artist in ink. Also with the old label of a Paris restorer. A transport label naming the Galerie Schmit in Paris, a collection label with number 36, without further naming. Here everything is skilfully staged. Constructed according to the rules of central perspective, in which the lines of flight, the orientation of the houses on the left, the foliage and the shade of the trees on the right, converge towards the central scene, namely a cattle market. By giving the subject a privileged place, Eugène Boudin places it at a distance from our gaze and offers it an introductory foreground. Cattle and figures are concentrated in a frieze that forms the horizon line, symbolically bringing together nature on the right with civilisation on the left by means of the market. On the left, the cows are horizontally staggered, surrounded by men negotiating, while on the right, several groups of women converse in a compact group. Their presence can be discerned by the white patches on their headdresses, which can be seen everywhere. For here the painter's touch is swirling, precise but light. Thus the austerity of construction fades beneath the strokes of a brush scattering its dabs of color. The sky, as always in Boudin's work, is given a masterful place, its clouds found mainly on the right, so that this allows and explains lighting from the left to below the trees. (†) Provenance: François Jacques Fratin, Levallois-Perret. Auction: Me Escribe, Paris, 23 May 1873, lot 3. Durant Collection, Paris (acquired at the above auction). Jules Strauss, Paris. Whose estate auction, Me Chevallier, Paris, 3 May 1902, lot 5 (illustrated). Madame Adolphe Friedmann, Paris (acquired at the above auction). From there by inheritance to previous owner. Note: Eugène Boudin is considered one of the important precursors of Impressionism. At the age of ten, Boudin moved with his family to Le Havre, where he later met painters such as Constant Troyon (1810-1865), Jean François Millet (1814-1875) and Eugène Isabey (1804-1886). They encouraged him to realize himself as a painter, whereupon he gave up his shop at the age of 22 and worked exclusively as a successful painter. In 1851 he studied in Paris, before he undertook several study trips in Europe. His fellow painters and friends included Gustave Courbet (1819-1877) and Claude Monet (1840-1926). Literature: This painting discussed and illustrated in: R. Schmit, Eugène Boudin, Paris 1973, vol. I, p. 140, no. 383. Exhibitions: Paris, Galerie Bernheim-Jeune & Fils, Exposition Eugène Boudin, November 1900, no. 94 (there titled: "Un marché en Bretagne"). (1291931) (13) Eugène Boudin, 1824 Honfleur - 1898 Deauville FOIRE EN BRETAGNE, CA. 1865 - 70 Oil on panel. 29.8 x 41 cm. Signed "E. Boudin" lower right. (†) Provenance: François Jacques Fratin, Levallois-Perret. Auction: Me Escribe, Paris, 23 May 1873, lot 3. Durant collection, Paris (acquired at the above auction). Jules Strauss, Paris. Its estate auction, Me Chevallier, Paris, 3 May 1902, lot 5 (ill.). Madame Adolphe Friedmann, Paris (acquired at the above auction). From there, bequeathed to the previous owner. Literature: This painting is reviewed and illustrated in: R. Schmit, Eugène Boudin, Paris 1973, vol. I, p. 140, no. 383. Exhibitions: Paris, Galerie Bernheim-Jeune & Fils, Exposition Eugène Boudin, November 1900, no. 94 (titled "Un marché en Bretagne").