This enchanting view is most likely an amalgam of several beaches drawn from Eurich's memory, with the pier in the top right corner bringing to mind Whitby. It includes all the elements one would expect to see at the British seaside such as donkeys, dogs, deck chairs, model yachts and sandcastles but it also depicts the working life with a steamer leaving harbour. On closer inspection, little vignettes of activity are revealed to one such as the pair struggling to make headway with a Victorian bath chair across the wet sand, a little group with a stooped man straining with a heavy crate on his shoulders, a bucking donkey and there is perhaps a nod to Eurich himself with a figure in the foreground looking over the dunes at the painter recording the scene. So much expressed with minute brushstrokes. All of this takes place under a slightly overcast sky, that most British of seaside experiences where a day at the beach has been planned and shall be fulfilled whatever the weather throws at one. The nature of the light also allows the artist to explore a broad spectrum of effects throughout the picture space with areas of shade, reflections on wet sand and brighter skies on the horizon.

​

The provenance is fascinating; the highly acclaimed actor Sir Alec Guinness knew the Eurichs as he lived nearby to them in the New Forest at this time. He bought the picture at the Redfern Gallery exhibition, Paintings on Small Panels in June 1952. The picture later passed to Edward Herrmann who had starred with Guinness in the West End production of A Walk in the Woods at the Comedy Theatre in London in November 1988. The two became friends and Guinness described Herrmann in a letter as "a delightful man, very intelligent and well read and a very good actor indeed."(Gaughan, 2015). Herrmann is best known for his part in the Gilmore Girls and numerous other film and tv appearances, most notably, his role as the head vampire in the 1980s cult film The Lost Boys with Kiefer Sutherland. 

With many thanks to the family of the artist for their help in researching this picture. Further details on the artist and his work can be found on their excellent website: https://richardeurich.co.uk/

​

Reference

Gaughan G. (2015), The Independent, <https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/edward-herrmann-character-actor-on-screen-whose-air-of-ivy-league-solidity-and-intelligence-made-him-an-ideal-leading-man-on-stage-10134083.html>