Etaples, La Canache, High Tide 1890

Eugène Boudin painted Etaples, La Canache, High Tide, with oil on canvas. Boudin, the son of a maritime pilot, had a deep, personal connection to the sea. In this landscape, we see beyond a mere depiction of place; we witness a portrayal of the human relationship to the natural world. This was painted during the mid-19th century when the fishing industry significantly shaped the economic and social structure of coastal communities like Étaples. Notice the figures in the foreground, perhaps workers or families connected to the maritime trade, set against the backdrop of boats dotting the water. Boudin was deeply invested in portraying the realities of everyday life for those who lived by the sea. As he put it, “everything that is painted directly on the spot has always a strength, a power, a vivacity that one cannot recover in the studio.” His work is a record of a specific time, preserving the identities and stories of people whose lives were intimately tied to the rhythms of the tide.