A native of Normandy, Eugène Boudin made his name depicting fashionable Parisian visitors at its seaside resorts. Later in his career, he turned to painting open landscapes with fewer people. The figures in this scene — beachgoers and local fishermen with their horse-drawn cart — are captured with quick strokes of paint. The main subject is the sky and the effect of light on the billowing clouds. Boudin's commitment to painting outdoors influenced Claude Monet.