If you are not able to get across the Channel this summer then you might like to take a look at the London Royal Academy exhibition "Impressionists by the Sea" which runs until 30 September 2007.
The English Channel coast of northern France and the Normandy and Brittany beaches were within easy reach of Paris, and often provided scenes for paintings by the likes of Manet, Monet and Boudin. As impressionists they found that the play of light in coastal scenes gave them more opportunity to experiment with their art.
"Painters initially portrayed the coast in Romantic terms, focusing on the evocation of the sublime forces of nature and the depiction of picturesque scenes of local fishermen. By the 1860s, however, stylish holidaymakers began to appear in paintings, as many of local resorts, such as Deauville and Trouville, became fashionable."
I suspect that many visitors tend to dismiss these coasts and hurtle south for more hedonistic resorts, but when the weather is friendly there are some great beaches and interesting resorts, stretching from west of Dunkerque all the way along to St Malo and the Brittany peninsula.
For more info see www.royalacademy.org.uk where you can also download a podcast about this exhibition, and enter a prize draw to win a luxury break in Normandy!
