Entrance to the Harbor, Le Havre

Eugène Boudin

National Gallery of Art

The painting depicts a harbor scene with several large ships and smaller boats on a wide waterway. To the left and right of center, two large ships are visible, each with multiple tall masts and several sails. The boat on the left appears to fly a flag that has white and red stripes and a section of dark blue. A small rowboat is positioned in the water by this ship, and it appears to have several indistinct people on it. To the left, a plume of gray smoke rises from low gray buildings. On the right, more people in rowboats appear to head towards a line of tall buildings in the distance. The sky is painted with soft brushstrokes in shades of light blue and grey, with hints of pale yellow at the center of the painting by the horizon. Some gray clouds drift across the sky. The water reflects these colors as well as the gray ships. Overall, the color palette is mostly light blue and shades of gray. The brushstrokes are visible, and details in the distance are suggested with minimal lines of paint.