Characteristic of some of his finest work, this beach scene by Eugene Berthelon, offers one of the most sought after subjects of the marine genre, a record of the simple joys of enjoying leisure time at the seashore, in this instance the shores of Normandie in the late nineteenth century.

With adept use of brush and palette, Berthelon has filled this work with remarkable depth and dimension. Beneath the striking beauty of the Normandie cliffs curving gently off into the distance, well dressed figures congregate near the bather’s cabanas in the foreground while others wade and strollers explore the tidepools and rocks revealed by the receding waters.

Berthelon captured beautifully the ever changing Normandie sky with clouds animated by the winds blowing off the seine estuary. The charm of the local gentry and elegant summer visitors as they enjoy a day at the beach instills in the viewer a breath of the past, skillfully rendered by a master of his genre.