Accession Number1986/2.79
TitleSt. Catherine's Market at Honfleur
Artist(s)Eugène BoudinArtist NationalityFrench (culture or style)Object Creation Datecirca 1890Medium & Supportoil on panelDimensions 12 11/16 in x 15 15/16 in (32.23 cm x 40.48 cm);17 3/4 in x 20 7/8 in x 2 in (45.08 cm x 53.02 cm x 5.08 cm)
Credit LineGift of Gilbert M. FrimetLabel copyThe thin, almost transparent, glazes and flat, broad strokes of multifarious colors constituting this oil sketch of the St. Catherine Market in Honfleur faithfully impart Boudin’s belief in painting directly from nature. As he is reported to have once told his pupil Claude Monet, "three brush strokes painted from nature are worth more than two days work at the easel." In "Market at Honfleur (Le Marché Sainte Catherine à Honfleur)," one finds a studied contrast to the "Marché aux poissons." While both function as painted sketches, they exemplify different degrees of finish. The unresolved, highly spontaneous nature of this sketch, and the tactile quality of its painted surface, achieve the vivacity of "plein-air" ("open air") painting that Boudin sought. He revealed his affinity to plein-air painting when he said, "Everything that is painted directly on the spot always has a strength, a power, a vividness of touch that one doesn’t find again in the studio."
(C. McNamara, 18th-19th Century Gallery installation, early 1999)
Primary Object ClassificationPaintingCollection AreaWesternRightsIf you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit
http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.