The artwork “The Mill, Saint-Cenery” was created by the artist Eugene Boudin around 1891 in France. It is executed in oil medium, exemplifying the Impressionist movement, with the genre squarely in the realm of landscape. The piece belongs to a private collection, indicating that it is not currently on public display for general audiences to view.
In the artwork, one observes a rural scene marked by tranquility and the natural charm of the countryside. The focal element of this composition appears to be an old mill, characterized by its rustic architecture with what seems to be a thatched roof. The slanting roofline draws the eye toward a waterway that flows gently past the structure, possibly a mill race or stream that powered the mill. A central tree punctuates the scene with a sense of verticality, standing tall amidst the more horizontally oriented elements of the composition.
Small figures can be seen in the vicinity of the mill, contributing a human presence that adds scale and liveliness to the scene without dominating it. The overall palette is muted, with earth tones predominating, capturing the delicate play of light and shadow familiar to the Impressionist movement. The brushwork is loose and expressive, a hallmark of Impressionism, where the precision of detail gives way to an evocation of the atmosphere and the fleeting effects of light. Boudin’s treatment of the sky with soft, diffuse clouds further reinforces the atmosphere of the moment, melding sky and earth together in a harmonious whole.
