Low Tide at Scheveningen

Stand on this beach and you can almost feel the salt air. Eugène Boudin painted this scene at Scheveningen, a fishing village on the Dutch coast, in 1876. The tide has pulled back, leaving wooden fishing boats resting on the wet sand while their sails catch a bit of wind in the distance. A few small figures go about their day, dwarfed by the wide stretch of shore. What really steals the show, though, is the sky. Big, restless clouds roll across more than half the canvas, painted with loose, quick brushstrokes that make them feel alive.

Boudin was a master of skies, so much so that fellow painters nicknamed him the "king of skies." He spent his life capturing coastal weather and light, and his fresh, outdoor approach helped pave the way for Impressionism. In fact, he was the one who encouraged a young Claude Monet to paint outside and trust what he saw. This painting is a quiet, honest look at everyday life by the sea, with no drama or grand story, just boats, sand, and a sky that won't sit still.