William Féron (1858–1994), Fishing Scene At Low Tide, Normandy (?)

A Swedish painter trained at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm, he moved to Paris in 1880, where he developed a body of work influenced by the naturalist and Impressionist movements of his time.

This composition depicts a scene of daily life on the Normandy coast or in northern France (it is known that he painted Dieppe in 1880, and a work depicting Boulogne is found in a former American collection). At low tide, several women are busy on the foreshore while fishing boats rest on the sand, their masts rising toward a vast, cloudy sky.

The loose and spontaneous brushwork sensitively captures the variations in light and the distinctive atmosphere of the seashore. The human figures, deliberately sketched, blend naturally into the landscape.

Dated 1881, this work belongs to the artist’s early years in France, a particularly interesting period in his career, preceding his participation in the Paris Salon beginning in 1882.

- 1882 to 1885: exhibited at the Paris Salon.
- 1885: joined the Opponents movement at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm.
- 1889: Exhibited at the Paris World’s Fair.
- 1894: One of his works, *Young Girl in a Garden*, was acquired by the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm shortly before his death