Venice: Santa Maria della Salute and the Dogana seen from across the Grand Canal

Throughout his life Eugène Boudin worked ceaselessly and single-mindedly to transcribe what he called the 'simple beauties of nature'. The task he set himself was not an easy one - to capture the restless motion of water and clouds, the transient gleams of light playing on waves and the characteristic movement of boats and ships.

The magnificent light and the ever-present water of Venice appealed to the elderly Boudin. His marvellous freshness of touch, the surface flickering with small and regular strokes, gives this picture the unified atmosphere he struggled to capture throughout his career.

Although he includes numerous small figures - from the groups strolling on the quayside to the passengers in the gondolas - Boudin is content to paint the view as he sees it without trying to tell a story.

Credit: Gifted, 1996