Charles Pécrus (1826-1907) - Trouville, beach scene

Born in Limoges, Charles Pécrus had to find his way in life from an early age. He began earning his living working for the Ponts-et-Chaussées in Paris. His talent for drawing enabled him to attend the École des Beaux-Arts, where he was trained by painters specialising in "genre scenes", such as B. E. Fichel. He also went to the Louvre to copy the great classical masters. Pécrus began exhibiting at the Salon des Artistes Français in 1857 with genre scenes, which enabled him to make a living from his painting. In 1865, his submission to the Salon entitled "Le lendemain des noces" was bought for the hefty sum of 2,000 francs by Napoleon III.
From 1865 onwards, the proximity of Eugène Boudin, who took up residence at 31 rue Fontaine while Pécrus lived at 42 (where he remained until his death in 1907), may explain the friendship between them as well as Pécrus's new and growing interest in plein air painting, particularly seascapes. His association with Jongkind also seems to have contributed to this development, which became increasingly marked after 1870. Pécrus painted on the Normandy coast, in the Barbizon region, in the Mediterranean, in Venice and in the Netherlands. Pécrus joined Boudin in Trouville and discovered Impressionism, which changed his palette and style. The two painters sometimes treated the same subjects or sites, with a certain similarity in spirit and touch, as is the case in the work we are presenting. However, it was not until 1885 that he abandoned genre painting almost entirely. Under the influence of the Impressionists, his technique became freer, with less defined outlines and the use of distinct strokes of colour, without sacrificing the accuracy of the drawing, the correctness of the tones and the elegance of the composition.
He last exhibited at the Salon in 1905 and continued to paint until his death in 1907. On the fringes of artistic circles and schools, he earned a modest living, without achieving the (sometimes ephemeral) fame of certain other artists.
This beach scene was intended for his friend Eugène Boudin, as the annotation in the lower left-hand corner states: "To the friend Boudin, E. Pecrus".