But this painting and the eight others he made in the summer of show it as a holiday destination, with wide sandy beaches, bracing air and impressive seaside architecture. Monet painted it during the weeks he spent at Trouville with his wife Camille and their son Jean. Camille and a female companion are shown in close-up, their figures apparently casually arranged and cropped by the picture frame, rather like a snapshot. Grains of sand embedded in the paint reveal that the canvas was painted at least partly on the spot.
Facial features and costume details are dashed in briefly with flat strokes of paint: the main focus here is on the play of light and shade. Bright sunlight is conveyed in bold strokes of brilliant white, and the women shade their faces with parasols. Monet painted it during the weeks he spent at Trouville following his marriage, with his new wife Camille and their son Jean. During his stay Monet produced four large canvases — one view of the harbour and three paintings of the seafront lined with smart hotels — as well as five smaller pictures of figures on the beach, of which this is one.
Camille posed for most of the beach scenes. Grains of sand blown by the sea breeze onto the canvas that became embedded in the wet paint reveal that it was painted at least partly on the spot. Colours are mainly limited to tones of yellow, grey, blue and black.
The bright sunlight is conveyed in bold strokes of brilliant white, and the women shade their faces with parasols. It is possible that Camille is wearing a veil to protect her skin. In her pale summer dress and flowery hat, she seems lost in thought, while her companion, dressed in contrasting black, seems intent on reading her newspaper. Distant figures, a tent and other features are sketched in with a few strokes of the brush.
The flag on the flagpole and the scudding clouds tell us that despite the dazzling sunlight this is a breezy day. The picture may appear to sum up the carefree atmosphere of a summer holiday, but life for the Monet family was far from carefree at the time.
