Honfleur Fishing Boat 1830

Camille Corot painted this oil sketch of a fishing boat in Honfleur, a port in Normandy, some time in the mid-19th century. It is a beautiful example of a compositional strategy, and is about painting en plein air. Corot, a celebrated landscape painter, captured the scene with a remarkable economy of means. The fishing boat is rendered with loose brushstrokes, the reflections on the water shimmering in the light. Honfleur was a hive of artistic activity at the time, with many artists drawn to the area because of its picturesque harbor. But there were few opportunities to exhibit paintings outside of the centrally-controlled institutions. The image is self-consciously progressive and critiques the institutions of art. To fully appreciate paintings such as this, we might consult 19th-century exhibition reviews, artists' correspondence, and records from the various Salons to build up a picture of what was at stake when this work was first shown. The meaning of this art is contingent on its social and institutional context.