Eugène Boudin

Eugène Boudin was a highly acclaimed marine painter and one of the first French landscape painters to paint outdoors, 'en plein air'. His pastels were praised by Baudelarie and Corot, who named him "the master of the sky."

Boudin was born in Honfleur, France and was the son of a harbor pilot. He settled in Le Havre in 1835, where he apprenticed as a painter. Boudin took work in an art supplies store and become inspired by the works of Couture, Millet, Troyen, and other artists, whose works were exhibitied in the store. In 1851, Boudin was granted a three-year scholarship to study in Paris. He first exhibited his work in the 1859 Salon and again at the Salon des Refusés in 1863.

Boudin met the young Claude Monet in the 1850s and has been noted as an influence on the artist. He also worked frequently with Edouard Manet in the 1860s. Boudin's own growing reputation enabled him to travel extensively around the Netherlands, Belgium, and southern France in the 1970s. During this time, Boudin was increasingly influenced by the work of the Impressionists. He took part in the first Impressionist Exhibition in 1874 and began to exhibit frequently with the Impressionists.

In 1881, Boudin recieved a third place medal at the Paris Salon and a gold medal at the 1889 Exposition Universelle. Boudin was made Knight of the Legion d'honneur in 1892.