Many of Paris’ art enthusiasts are aware of Eugene Boudin’s existence, mainly because they would have seen a number of his creations from time-to-time in various exhibitions at many of the city’s museums.

However, for the first time, the Marmottan Museum has brought together more than 200 of his paintings from different museums as well as private collections. What a delight it is spending an entire day watching such vibrant scenes of magnificent beaches, rising waves, swaying boats and flying sea birds under clouded skies!

Unlike so many other well-known artists of his own era, Boudin (1824-1898) began painting at a relatively advanced age, nevertheless creating more than 4,000 works during his lifetime. A majority of them, of course, inspired by scenes of the ocean observed at the beaches of coastal towns in the Normandy region northwest of France, such as Deauville and Trouville.

Boudin’s inspirations and original techniques were not ignored by the following generation and kept influencing the works of many younger painters. He was eventually crowned, and remains today, the ‘Father of Impressionism’, in spite of the fact that the title of the movement itself comes from a fairly later oil work called Impression, Rising Sun painted in 1873 by a much younger Claude Monet, who later became Boudin’s close friend — notwithstanding their age difference. Monet never hesitated from reminding his admirers that he owed all his artistic inspiration to Boudin and his inventive genius.

The works of Eugene Boudin, the trailblazer who inspired Claude Monet, are currently being celebrated at a museum in Paris

 The current exhibition highlights every aspect of Boudin’s career — from his initial and inventive works in the above-mentioned Normandy waterfronts to his later creations in Venice and gigantic beach scenes. Speaking of Impressionism, it won’t be out of place here to mention a rather comical incident that gave the movement its name without any forethought.

During an exhibition in Paris of the works by many young artists, an art critic who was surprised to notice that one of the canvases hung on the wall had no title on it, questioned a very young Monet what the painting was actually called. Monet’s rather confused answer was: “I have an impression it is the rising sun.” The next day an article appeared in a magazine showing the picture of the painting with the title Impression, Rising Sun.

‘Impressionism’ immediately became the name of the movement and has remained so ever since.

‘Eugene Boudin: the Father of Impressionism’
is on display at the Marmottan Museum,
Paris from April 9-August 31, 2025

The writer is an art critic based in Paris.
He can be reached at zafmasud@gmail.com

Published in Dawn, EOS, July 6th, 2025