Situated at the mouth of the Seine, Étretat has long been a favourite subject of painters, attracting such artists as Eugène Delacroix, Camille Corot and Claude Monet. When Hillier visited the area, he had been living in the south of France for a number of years after pursuing his studies in Paris. The artist paints the boats with painstaking precision and clarity, with the landmark cliff in the distant background.
