The Toutain Farm at Honfleur

Honfleur, Normandy, is a beautiful seaport facing the Straits of Dover. There the Saint-Siméon Farm, later known, with great affection, as Auntie Toutain's Farm, also served as an inn where artists stayed. Built on a hill, the farmhouse offered views of the mouth of the Seine and of the sea. Corot, Daubigny, Courbet, Boudin, Monet, Bazille and other artists who enjoyed its hospitality found they were able to throw themselves into their work there while also deepening their friendships. In this painting, a sunlit farmhouse is seen beyond a dark row of trees. Blue sky is visible at the upper left, and the women, chatting away as they spin and do other handwork, are in the sunlight. The composition of complexly intertwined trees and the sharp contrast between light and dark are striking.