A charming Oil on canvas painting of a vacationners on a beach watching a Steamboat by French painter André Borrel.
Born in Paris in 1912, he was a self-taught painter who drew inspiration from the “Father of Impressionism,” Eugène Boudin.
He began exhibiting his works at the *Salon des Artistes Français* in Paris as early as 1946, and later at the ‘Salon d’Automne’.
Deeply inspired by Eugène Boudin, he painted scenes of the Norman coast, sometimes enlivened by the presence of ships.
However, his favorite subject remained scenes of Norman beaches bustling with elegant ladies dressed in the fashions of the ‘Belle Époque’.
His paintings are generally very lively and imbued with realism, featuring shimmering colors.
A bustling Norman beach scene: in the foreground, nannies watch over and tend to the children, while the parents enjoy the benefits of the fresh air—a practice highly recommended by doctors of the era.
On the horizon, a few sailboats with billowing sails glide across the open sea, while a steamship passes by, trailing a plume of grayish smoke that serves as a reminder of the coal-fired era.
For this particular canvas, the artist has pared down his palette to just a few select hues: beiges, creams, grays, pale blues, and ochres.
By restricting his use of color variations, Borrel has successfully captured the atmosphere of early autumn.
The sky is dramatic and turbulent, filled with an accumulation of gray clouds; the sea is pale; and even the figures are clad in shades of gray and ochre.
Only a few patches of blue sky and tiny touches of red serve to enliven the composition as a whole.
A lovely, very gentle painting—characterized by soft pastel tones that evoke a sense of romance—serving as a poignant testament to a past that is not so distant.
Oil on canvas, signed in the lower left corner, presented in a gilded wooden frame.
Unframed: 7 ½ x 13 inches
Framed: 15 x 20 inches