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EUGÈNE BOUDIN , HONFLEUR, 1824 – DEAUVILLE, 1898 Dordrecht, Moulin sur les bords de la Meuse Oil on canvas 55 x 74 cm Like a masterly pawn placed on the chessboard of nature, this mill with its bulging silhouette proudly displays its wings. A black mass against a sky dappled with white clouds, it dominates the banks of a widened Meuse as it nears its mouth. Opposite, on the other bank, the city of Dordrecht tries to compete with the massive rectangular bell tower of its cathedral. Choosing a very low point of view, Eugène Boudin accentuates the effect of depth here, listing the architectures like so many landmarks that mark out the visual path. From the grassy bank, which occupies the whole of the first blank, he brings the monumental mill into view before taking us across the mass of the river to the tiny buildings on the opposite bank. A few frail sailing boats are on the water, reminding us of the river port activity of the oldest Dutch city. However, once again, it is the sky that plays the major role, occupying three quarters of the picture's surface. Blue at its firmament, it is traversed by an enormous cloudy mass, thick and cottony, of which Eugène Boudin has the secret of rendering the material. Various washed-out greys sculpt its volumes, giving it a tangible, almost palpable presence. In 1859, he exhibited his first painting at the Salon where he was noticed by Baudelaire. He met Courbet, Jongkind and then Monet, whom he introduced to plein-air painting. As he gained notoriety, he devoted himself to more mundane subjects, accompanying the birth of the first seaside resorts, Deauville, Trouville but also Juan-les-Pins. In 1874, he participated in the first impressionist exhibition at Nadar's. Beyond the scenes of daily life, sketched with vivacity and even picturesque, his landscapes are organised with precision according to the laws of perspective and according to a framing influenced by the nascent photography. The characters, secondary or even anecdotal, are inscribed in a perspectival space where the eye is invited to travel over vast expanses. But it is above all his treatment of light that will earn him the recognition of his peers, particularly for his skies. Corot, his elder, gave him the laudatory title of 'king of the skies', while Baudelaire awarded him the title of 'painter of meteorological beauties'. Provenance: Former Beugniet collection, Paris; Wildenstein & Cie, New-York; Private collection; Sale Palais Galliera, Paris, 10 March 1970, no. 126; Sale Hôtel Rameau, Versailles, 9 June 1971, no. 114. Robert Schmit, 'Eugène Boudin, 1824-1898', vol. I, Paris, 1973, described and reproduced p. 382, no. 1097. Signatur: Signed lower right 'E. Boudin' and dated 'Dordrecht 75'.