St. Vaast-la-Hougue 

This painting, "St. Vaast-la-Hougue," by Eugène Boudin, exemplifies the artist's mastery of capturing the atmosphere and light of the French seaside. The painting depicts a serene coastal scene with a distant view of the titular St. Vaast-la-Hougue, a village in Normandy. Boudin's brushstrokes are loose and impressionistic, evoking the fleeting beauty of the sky, the calmness of the water, and the gentle lapping of waves on the shore. The overall effect is one of tranquility and captivating realism. The presence of figures in the foreground, likely bathers, adds a sense of life and movement to the composition. The painting is characteristic of Boudin's work, which often focused on the natural world and the effects of light on it. Boudin's dedication to plein air painting, working outdoors directly from nature, greatly influenced the development of Impressionism.