Looking the The Masters: Gustave Courbet and Nature 

Gustave Courbet (1819-1877) was the leader of the French Realist painters. He was born in Ornans, a city on the first plateau of the Jura Mountains in western France and close to Switzerland. He began to paint at age 14. In 1837 he entered the College of Fine Arts and the College Royal de Besancon to study art and law. He informed his father two years later that he did not want to be a lawyer. His father agreed to support him in his study of art. Courbet moved to Paris and found a job in the studio of Steuben and Hesse. He copied paintings in the Louvre, and followed the classical style of the Academy. He returned regularly to Ornans to fish and hunt, a life-long pleasure.

Courbet received much attention in the Paris Salons with his chosen subject, the real life of ordinary French people, rather than the popular and accepted history, mythology, and religious paintings. Massive paintings such as “The Stone-Breakers” (1849) at 4.9’ x 8.5’, and “Burial at Ornans” (1849) at 10.3’ x 21.6’, the funeral of a common man, gained him a reputation for strict realism. He was famous for saying, “I have never seen an angel. Show me an angel, and I’ll paint one.” 

Courbet was a socialist, politically active, and anti-authoritarian. His Realism style became popular with like-minded people and artists. He refused the nomination for the French Legion of Honor in 1870, during the regime of Napoleon III.  Paris was in turmoil, Napoleon III was overthrown, and the popular Paris Commune was established in 1871. Despite the liberal ideas of the Commune, it lasted only 72 days. Courbet was appointed Director of Museums. He was blamed for the destruction of the Vendome Column, a national monument. He was jailed for six months and held responsible for restoration of the expensive monument. He fled to Switzerland, where he lived until his death. 

Courbet’s realistic depiction of the ills of contemporary society got him into trouble, but his paintings of nature were praised. Scenes of winter snow were not common at the time, but his works were appreciated and sought after. “Fox in the Snow” (1861) (34”x50”) (Dallas Art Museum) was exhibited in the Paris Salon of 1861 with three other hunting scenes. All were popular. Courbet was praised for his ability to portray the texture of the fur, the intensity with which the predator attacked its prey, and the pose that would allow a quick getaway. The work was unsentimental, showing Courbet’s understanding of the ways of nature. 

“Deer Taking Shelter in Winter” (1866)

“Deer Taking Shelter in Winter” (1866) (54’’x73’’) is an example of Courbet’s unique ability to create the “snow effect” in painting. He used blacks and browns for the background, which he coated with thick white and blue paint, then scraped with a palette knife and a stiff dry brush to produce the impression of frozen snow clinging to the trunks and branches of trees. His use of blue with white added just the right amount of chill to the shadowed areas.

The standing deer appears frozen in place, perhaps sensing danger.  Two other deer huddle together for warmth and protection. Everything has paused, as has the viewer, in anticipation. 

“Village Edge in Winter” (1868)

“Village Edge in Winter” (1868) (12’’x18’’) is a depiction of one of the small villages located in the Frenche-Comte region, Courbet’s birth place. The region includes the Jura Mountains, famous for hiking, skiing and other outdoor activities, and Burgundy wine and local cheese that Courbet enjoyed on his annual visits. The word Jura means forest.  

One response to this painting was that it could be harsh and uncomfortable; the houses sit abandoned. It is a snowy scene, but the road appears well-traveled, and the houses seem sturdy. Perhaps the villagers are cozy in these houses on this snowy day. 

“Winter Landscape” (1868)

“Winter Landscape” (1868) (19”x12”) does not contain people, animals, or a village. It simply is a masterful depiction of snow-covered trees. His work is not romanticized. The viewer experiences the rawness of the frozen landscape.

Courbet wanted to show the reality of the people oppressed by their government, and he did so with huge paintings. These paintings are the reason for his designation as Realist. However, his landscapes were small and intimate. Courbet didn’t paint angels, because as he said he never saw one. However, he also said, “Beauty lies in nature and reveals, once the artist has perceived it, its own expressive power.”

Beverly Hall Smith was a professor of art history for 40 years.  Since retiring with her husband Kurt to Chestertown in 2014, she has taught art history classes at WC-ALL. She is also an artist whose work is sometimes in exhibitions at Chestertown RiverArts and she paints sets for the Garfield Center for the Arts.