‘What fascinated Boudin at Trouville and Deauville was not so much the sea and ships but the groups of people sitting on the sand or strolling along the beach: fine ladies in crinolines twirling their parasols, pompous gentlemen in top hats, children and little dogs playing on the sand. In the harmony of the colours of the elegant clothes he found a contrast to the delicacy of the skies’
Trouville, scène de plage, Le parasol jaune is a captivating example of Boudin’s favourite subject - stylishly dressed figures enjoying leisurely moments on the beach. Having settled in Paris after his marriage in 1863, Boudin travelled every summer to the coast of Normandy throughout the 1860s and 1870s, frequently staying at Trouville, a fashionable summer retreat for the French aristocracy. Boudin captures the colours and the crinolines worn by these elegant society figures in loose, free Impressionist brushstrokes, highlighted by dabs of red and blue to each side of the stunning yellow parasol at the centre of the composition. Boudin was an exceptional observer of both society and nature, and was fascinated in particular by the setting of these figures and their costumes against the expanse of sea, beach and sky. Boudin incorporates the figures into the landscape, using quick Impressionistic brushstrokes that evoke the sense of light and ocean breeze on these sumptuous, fashionable fabrics.