View of the Seacoast near Wargemont in Normandy

• Auguste Renoir (1841–1919)
• 1880
• Oil on canvas
• Bequest of Julia W. Emmons, 1956
• (56.135.7)

For several summers around 1880, Auguste Renoir stayed at the seaside estate of his patron Paul Bérard, near the northern coast of France. His gaze extends across golden fields set on steep cliffs, low farmhouses lying in the plain below, and beyond, the waters of the English Channel. Diagonal strokes along the horizon convey the restless movement of the sky, evoking the windy character of the region. Layered applications of paint enliven the white surf breaking between the cliffs.