Gustave Caillebotte painted this dramatic view of the blue-green sea, illuminated by a cloud-dappled sky, from one of the cliffs of Trouville, a popular resort town on the Normandy coast in northern France. The brick villas in the foreground, just outside the center of the town, offered homeowners a private shoreline retreat. During the early 1880s, Caillebotte spent several summers on the Normandy coast where he painted, participated in sailing regattas, and visited friends.