Deauville, the Dunes 1890

Eugène Boudin created this oil on canvas painting, *Deauville, the Dunes*, using brushes, pigment, and a prepared surface that would have been commercially manufactured, reflecting the growth of consumer culture in the 19th century. The visible brushstrokes, applied with varying pressure and direction, create a textured surface that captures the fleeting atmospheric conditions of the coastal landscape. Boudin’s technique emphasizes the materiality of paint itself, as globs of pigment create the impression of grasses and foliage in the foregound. The canvas support is equally significant. It's a standardized format produced in bulk. This reflects the increasing professionalization of art and its integration into a market economy, where artists could readily obtain materials and cater to a growing demand for paintings among the middle class. The scene itself portrays an area that was becoming a destination for leisure, a commodity in its own right. Considering these material and social factors encourages us to see Boudin’s painting not just as a representation of nature, but as an artifact embedded in the economic and cultural transformations of his time.