Sketch for “The Seaside Resort of Trouville”, c. 1880

This sketch was created by Otto von Thoren (1828–1889) as part of a series of works about the The Seaside Resort of Trouville on the Norman coast. The artist found his favorite subjects not in architecture or on the beach promenade of the famous French seaside resort of the Belle Époque, but on the beach itself. Numerous women, dressed in 19th-century swimwear, are enjoying themselves in the sea, conveying the impression of a carefree summertime bathing holiday. Probably under the influence of the French painting of the period, von Thoren had turned to an impressionistic style. With freewheeling brushwork and in coloristic style, he sketched out the sea and the bathers. This is particularly evident in the light blue and green brushstrokes he uses to suggest the waves.

AGW, 2021