By the close of the nineteenth century, the European countryside was dotted with artists' colonies in landscapes as varied as the artists and hosts who inhabited them. The most valuable and fruitful of these colonies were established along the coasts, and as they grew, traditional, stoic fishermen watched as their seaside villages were transformed into communities of art and leisure. Though idyllic in setting, these were not merely rustic retreats, but highly motivated international forums for experiment and debate, populated by those at the cutting edge of artistic change.

The movement, driven by ideological decisions and sustained by practical considerations, was shaped by a confluence of innovations in technology, transportation, hospitality, and publishing. In turn, it shaped the modern art market and inspired generations of painters. With this incisive study, Brian Dudley Barrett makes a major contribution to the geography of art, chronicling a time when living on the edge yielded fresh works and radical new perspectives.