View of Saint-Valéry-sur-Somme

• Edgar Degas (1834–1917)
• 1896–1898
• Oil on canvas
• Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
• (1975.1.167)

This painting shows a view of Saint-Valéry-sur-Somme, a seaside resort in northern France, by Edgar Degas. Instead of choosing a typical coastal or street scene, Degas adopted a high vantage point, looking down over the rooftops. A square church tower rises above the horizon, and neighborhood gardens appear between the black-outlined roofs. Under a peaceful sky, the evenly lit view unfolds into a harmonious landscape, the thinly painted sky allowing the texture of the canvas to show through.