Etretat – The Artists – Isabey, Eugene

This page forms part of a series of pages dedicated to the many artists who worked in Etretat. A full list of all the artists with a link to their works can be found at the bottom of this page.

Movement(s): Romanticism

Eugene Louis Gabriel Isabey (1803 – 1886) was a French painter, lithographer and watercolorist in the Romantic style. He was born to Jean-Baptiste Isabey, a well known painter who enjoyed the patronage of the Imperial Family. Originally, he wanted to be a sailor, but his father insisted that he study painting; a turnabout from the usual situation where the family opposes an artistic career in favor of something more practical.

He shared a studio with fellow artist Xavier Leprince while living in Honfleur.

In 1831, he was chosen to accompany a diplomatic mission to Morocco, led by the Comte de Mornay, but he politely refused. He had just returned from a short trip to Algiers, where he had painted scenes of the Royal Navy’s campaign, and was concerned that the situation there was still too unsettled to make a lengthy stay. He was replaced by his friend, Eugene Delacroix, who created over 100 works that are now considered classics of Orientalism.

Shortly after, however, Isabey became a court painter for King Louis-Philippe and was named a Knight in the Legion d’Honneur in 1832. One of his best known paintings was done during this period, in 1840, depicting the return of Napoleon’s remains from Saint Helena aboard the Belle Poule.

During a trip to England, he was known to have studied the works of J.M.W. Turner. He was especially skillful at rendering subtleties in darker colors; which might be called a form of grisaille. He took in students on a regular basis; including Eugene Boudin, Johan Barthold Jongkind and Durand-Brager. In his later years, he turned from marine painting to historical scenes, usually of a violent nature, such as massacres, duels and robberies.

Click here to read Isabey’s full bio on Wikipedia.

NOTE: Click on any image below for a bigger version (no new window will open).

NOTE: A black box like this one, means that there is an explanation text about today’s situation of the painting above it.
NOTE: Click on this photo icon anywhere below a painting to see a photo of what the area looks like today.

NOTE: A blue box like this one, means there is an explanation or a note.

NOTE: A Cabestan is a vertical-axled rotating machine developed for use on sailing ships to multiply the pulling force of seamen when hauling ropes, cables, and hawsers.

NOTE: A caloge is a former fishing boat, covered with a roof, used to keep fishing materials dry.

TODAY: The Porte d’Aval is the most visible of three sea arches at Etretat. It lies to the left of the Etretat beach.

NOTE: Etretat does not have an harbor but has fishing boats. They are dragged onto the beach when not in use.

NOTE: The Porte d’Amont is a sea arch that lies to the right of the beach of Etretat.

Isabey painted several places in France (a link “⇠” to his works will appear below when published):

• Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes
  • Saint-Nectaire
• Brittany
  • Douarnenez
  • Saint-Malo
  • Saint-Servan
  • Treguier
• Hauts-de-France
  • Boulogne
  • Calais
  • Saint-Valery-sur-Somme
• Normandy
  • Caen ⇠
  • Dieppe (and surroundings) ⇠
    • Varengeville-sur-Mer ⇠
  • Etretat ⇠
  • Honfleur ⇠
  • La Haye
  • Le Treport
  • Mont Saint-Michel (and surroundings)
    • Granville
  • Rouen
• Nouvelle-Aquitaine
  • Bordeaux
  • Nanteuil
• Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur
  • Avignon
  • Hyeres

Etretat is the second most popular and visited place in Normandy (the first being Mont Saint-Michel). And since it was popular, many artists came here to be inspired by its nature and scenic environments. Here is a list of artists who worked in Etretat (a link “⇠” to their work will appear when published).

• 🇷🇺 Bogolyubov, Alexey (Alexei) ⇠
• 🇫🇷 Boudan, Louis *⇠
• 🇫🇷 Boudin, Eugene-Louis ⇠
• 🇫🇷 Braque, Georges ⇠
• 🇫🇷 Burel, Henry E. ⇠
• 🇺🇸 Butler, Theodore Earl ⇠
• 🇫🇷 Caillebotte, Gustave ⇠
• 🇫🇷 Corot, Jean-Baptiste Camille ⇠
• 🇫🇷 Courbet, Gustave ⇠
• 🇫🇷 Daubigny, Charles-Francois ⇠
• 🇫🇷 de Saint-Delis, Rene ⇠
• 🇫🇷 Friesz, Othon ⇠
• 🇫🇷 Garneray, Ambroise Louis ⇠
• 🇫🇷 Gudin, Theodore ⇠
• 🇫🇷 Hoguet, Charles ⇠
• 🇫🇷 Huet, Paul ⇠
• 🇺🇸 Inness, George ⇠
• 🇫🇷 Isabey, Eugene ⇠
• 🇳🇱 Jongkind, Johan ⇠
• 🇬🇧 Kay, James ⇠
• 🇫🇷 Kuwasseg, Charles Euphrasie ⇠
• 🇫🇷 Lebasque, Henri ⇠
• 🇫🇷 Lebourg, Albert ⇠
• 🇬🇧 Leitch, Richard Principal ⇠
• 🇫🇷 Lepoittevin, Eugene ⇠
• 🇫🇷 Letellier, Emile-Andre ⇠
• 🇫🇷 Loiseau, Gustave ⇠
• 🇫🇷 Matisse, Henri ⇠
• 🇫🇷 Maufra, Maxime ⇠
• 🇫🇷 Maze, Paul ⇠
• 🇬🇧 Meadows, Arthur Joseph ⇠
• 🇫🇷 Monet, Claude
• 🇫🇷 Noel, Alexandre Jean
• 🇷🇺 Polenov, Vasily
• 🇫🇷 Roullet, Gaston
• 🇫🇷 Schuffenecker, Claude-Emile
• 🇫🇷 Signac, Paul
• 🇨🇭 Vallotton, Felix
• 🇫🇷 Vollon, Antoine

NOTE: You can subscribe to our new articles by entering your email address in the box on the right column (or at the very bottom of this article) and clicking on the button “Subscribe”.

You will need to check your incoming emails and validate your subscription. If you can’t see an email from us, check your Spam folder. Without validating your email address, you will not get notifications from us. WE WILL NEVER GIVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESSES TO ANYONE!

Related Posts