Delphi Complete Paintings of Gustave Courbet
Page 1
Gustave Courbet
(1819-1877)
Contents
The Highlights
Self Portrait with a Black Dog
The Desperate Man
Man with a Pipe
After Dinner at Ornans
A Burial at Ornans
The Young Ladies of the Village
The Wrestlers
The Meeting or “Bonjour, Monsieur Courbet”
The Wheat Sifters
The Artist’s Studio
Young Ladies beside the Seine (Summer)
Portrait of P. J. Proudhon
Sleep
The Origin of the World
The Wave
The Étretat Cliffs after the Storm
Self Portrait at Sainte-Pélagie
Still Life of Apples, Pears and Primroses on a Table
The Paintings
The Paintings of Gustave Courbet
Alphabetical List of Paintings
The Drawings
Selected Drawings
The Delphi Classics Catalogue
© Delphi Classics 2019
Version 1
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Masters of Art Series
Gustave Courbet
By Delphi Classics, 2019
COPYRIGHT
Masters of Art - Gustave Courbet
First published in the United Kingdom in 2019 by Delphi Classics.
© Delphi Classics, 2019.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form other than that in which it is published.
ISBN: 978 1 78877 956 2
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The Highlights
Ornans, a commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of eastern France — Courbet was born in Ornans in 1819.
The birthplace of Gustave Courbet, which today functions as the Musée Courbet, with 80 permanent works by the artist.
Courbet’s self portrait as a young man, charcoal on paper, c. 1847, Musée d’Orsay
The Highlights
In this section, a sample of Courbet’s most celebrated works is provided, with concise introductions, special ‘detail’ reproductions and additional biographical images.
Self Portrait with a Black Dog
The leader of the Realist movement of nineteenth century France, Gustave Courbet was born in Ornans, a commune in eastern France, to Eléonor-Régis, a wealthy farmer that had risen from the peasantry, and his wife Sylvie. From an early Gustave had demonstrated an interest in art, though he initially studied law. However, by 1839 he had moved to Paris, the centre of the European art world, following a brief spell at the college of fine arts at Besançon. The young Courbet devoted himself to the study of the Old Masters in the Louvre, spending hours copying their works. He and his father shared an unusual mutual respect for each other at the time and, when Courbet announced his intentions to become an artist rather than a provincial lawyer, his father consented, having reportedly declared, “If anyone gives up, it will be you, not me!” The parent then promised, if necessary, that he would sell his land and vineyards, even his houses, to finance his son’s chosen path in life.
Unchained from the financial restrictions that plagued many avant-garde artists of the nineteenth century, Courbet could focus his studies entirely on his art, living in comparatively affluent circumstances. He achieved a pronounced technical proficiency in the tedious, yet determined copying of paintings by the seventeenth century Spanish masters Diego Velázquez and José de Ribera, whose dark toned works won his especial attention. At the time, the Paris Salon, sponsored by the Académie des Beaux-Arts, was still the only means for an ambitious artist to exhibit his work and win the critical attention required to make his name. The selectors of the Salon jury were notoriously conservative in their tastes, often favouring the grand historic canvases of the Neo-classical artists and the recent emergence of Romantic subjects. Courbet was determined to offer a wholly new and unprecedented choice of subject, which until now was never regarded as suitable for High Art. Due to his unconventional style and bold subject matter, the Salon repeatedly declined his submissions; nevertheless, he remained undaunted and continued to submit the artworks he deemed worthy of critical attention. Self Portrait with a Black Dog was finally accepted in 1844, when the artist was twenty-three years old.
One of Courbet’s earliest self portraits, it reveals a determined, perhaps even arrogant young man. Held today in Paris’ Musée du Petit Palais, the image was likely inspired by Parmigianino’s Mannerist self portrait in a convex mirror, proclaiming the artist’s bold aspirations. His head is held high, while the chin is prominently lit by the chiaroscuro. The artist’s coat is carefully turned aside to reveal its costly yellow lining, establishing him as a fashionable young man, accompanied by a highly sought after English spaniel. The artist looks down at us with a lofty expression, his superior gaze dismissing our presence as insignificant. Surrounded by the landscape of his native countryside, Courbet is seated beside a steep, chalky rock, lending the image a romantic atmosphere. Although at first we may interpret this as the representation of the town dandy, the composition is strongly connected to Courbet’s country roots and his love of nature is represented by the trusty dog. The artist is also presented with a refined, even scholarly character, suggested by his pipe, flowing hair and wide broad-brimmed hat. He has even taken a solemn book along with him on his country stroll, which he has now placed behind him as he takes a thoughtful rest.
This painting was produced during a time of Romantic fervour in European art and Courbet was quick to capitalise on the prevailing taste. In this self portrait we are given the well-known image of the young Romantic, taking a momentary respite in the midst of a melancholic landscape. Perhaps it was the strong Romantic characteristics that eventually won over the highly-selective jury. In fact, out of the twenty-four paintings submitted by Courbet to the Salon between 1841 and 1847, Self Portrait with a Black Dog was only one of three to be accepted. Although he had been fortunate with this early attempt, Courbet would by no means pander to the Salon’s conventional tastes for long. Indeed, he had very different plans for the direction of his work…
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Self portrait in a Convex Mirror by the Italian late Renaissance artist Parmigianino, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria, 1524
The Desperate Man
Around the same time as the previous plate, Courbet also produced two versions of another self portrait, under the title Le Désespéré (The Desperate Man). One of these was an unfinished gouache on paper sketch and the other, featured in the following illustrations, was an 1845 oil on canvas, held today in the private collection of the Conseil Investissement Art BNP Paribas. The painting presents an up-clos
e and confrontational view of a deranged young male, who peers wildly out of the canvas with an unsettling expression. It is believed the subject was suggested to the artist by the pioneering work of Johann Kaspar Lavater (1741-1801), the Swiss philosopher and theologian. Lavater’s Physiognomische Fragmente zur Beförderung der Menschenkenntnis und Menschenliebe, published between 1775 and 1778, introduced the concept that physiognomy related to the specific character traits of individuals, rather than general types.
The desperate man’s head and strained arms fill the composition, bringing the insanity closer to the viewer. His hands pull frantically at his hair, as the muscles in his arms and hands are accentuated by chiaroscuro, extending the sense of frenzy. The image accords with contemporary Romantic concerns with extreme states of emotion and sensibility. Also, the striking painting introduces a recurring theme of the artist’s career, which he was always keen to promote: the persona of the gifted, yet isolated artist, facing the almost insurmountable obstacles of his artistic genus.
By all accounts, Courbet was attached to Le Désespéré and even took the canvas with him into exile in Switzerland in 1873, as recorded by Doctor Paul Collin’s description of Courbet’s studio, which included “a painting portraying Courbet with a desperate expression, which for this reason is titled Désespéré.”
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The unfinished gouache on paper sketch of the same subject, National Gallery of Norway, c. 1844
Johann Kaspar Lavater by August Friedrich Oelenhainz
Man with a Pipe
In 1846 Courbet made important trips to the Netherlands and Belgium, where he studied the Dutch masters and strengthened his developing belief that painters should portray the life around them, as Rembrandt, Hals and the other leading exponents of the Dutch school had done in the previous centuries. By 1848 Courbet had gained supporters among the younger critics, the Neo-romantics and Realists, notably Champfleury, and Courbet’s reputation as a radical and gifted art theorist was now recognised.
The one enduring subject of the artist’s first decade of work would be his fascination of self and his own promoted persona as an artist. Man with a Pipe represents the last of a long series of self portraits undertaken in the 1840’s. Courbet described the canvas as “the portrait of a fanatic, an ascetic. It is the portrait of a man who, disillusioned by the nonsense that made up his education, seeks to live by his own principles.” For many, the painting marks the first important stage in the direction of his artistic maturity. It is the first self portrait that Courbet parted with, since he had kept all of the others in his studio. Man with a Pipe was so important to Courbet that he even made a precise copy of the canvas, which was never to leave his studio.
Held today in the Musée Fabre, Montpellier, the self portrait was exhibited in the 1851 Salon and was well received from the very outset. In 1854 it was purchased by Alfred Bruyas (1821-1876), an art collector and personal friend of many important artists of the time. Bruyas was the son of a wealthy banker in Montpellier. From 1849 to 1854 he spent most of his time in Paris, where he collected paintings by Louis Hector Allemand, Camille Corot, Thomas Couture, Eugène Delacroix, but especially the work of Gustave Courbet, with whom he developed a strong friendship.
The following canvas presents the artist as a Bohemian in Paris, denoted by his thick, wild hair, unkempt beard, working-man’s pipe and rustic clothing. The head is positioned close to the viewer, appearing to project forcefully, even arrogantly into our space. Unlike Courbet’s previous self portraits, this version is noticeably ambiguous in appearance, with no theatrical elements to distract our attention. After several hard years at work, the artist now appears in a more mature guise, adopting a serious role. Now that he has formed his own theory of the importance of realism in art, he adheres to its practice and appears confident of the success that awaits him.
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Courbet’s portrait of his great patron, Alfred Bruyas, 1854
After Dinner at Ornans
During the late 1840’s the generous payment of funds from Courbet’s father enabled him to enjoy a privileged and busy social life. Not far from his studio, he liked to attend the bustling café called Brasserie Andler (or the ‘Temple of Realism’ as it later came to be known). This was a particularly lively place for artists, philosophers and socialists to gather and share their many differing and controversial views. Among Courbet’s circle of associates at the Brasserie Andler were the poet Charles Baudelaire, Pierre Proudhon and the anarchist and Jules Champfleury, the Realist author and critic. It was at this venue that the term “Realism” was first coined to describe a style of art and literature that portrayed life as it truly was, in all of its mundanity. Courbet was often at the centre of the lively and heated discussions that went on there every night. He liked to promote his persona as an unprivileged peasant painter, while preserving his provincial accent and smoking old-fashioned pipes. He was always careful to distance himself from the bourgeois world of Paris, desirous of acceptance among his avant-garde friends.
In February 1848 rioting broke out on the streets of Paris and Louis Philippe abdicated, as a provisional Republican government took control. These events ushered in the Second Republic, when a new liberal spirit, for a brief period, influenced the art world. In keeping with his promoted image, Courbet liked to present his character as a rebel of sorts, poised against the establishment. He of course sided with the popular insurrection. In later years he liked to suggest he played a great role in the uprising, though in truth he took little part in the fighting. His great contribution at this time would be a new monumental canvas, not an act of combat.
Amid the nervous political atmosphere, the Salon was still open, yet without a selection committee. This meant that Courbet, who had suffered many rejections previously, could now suddenly have ten works placed on display. His entries for the 1848 Salon were greeted enthusiastically by the critics and the following year his After Dinner at Ornans was accepted by the jury. This colossal work was greeted with considerable critical and public acclaim, while stirring outrage among some viewers.
That year Courbet had visited his family at Ornans to recover from his hectic Parisian lifestyle and he decided to paint an image of his father and three friends relaxing after a meal, situated in the humble setting of a working class home. The painting would in fact be the first work in which the artist set about promoting his new style of art — the portrayal of provincial and real life on a scale of importance that could be equal to academic history painting. This of course surprised many of the conservative-minded critics and artists. Although no one found fault with the quality of the painted scene and the artist’s technique, it was the sheer size of the canvas, measuring 8 feet wide by six feet tall, that was the true bone of contention. Up until then dimensions of this size were reserved alone for paintings of historical, classical or biblical scenes. And suddenly the Salon viewers were confronted with a humble, everyday scene of provincial life on a grand scale.
In keeping with the spirits of works by the Le Nain brothers and Chardin, the canvas depicts the four life-sized figures grouped around a rustic dining table, as they listen to one of the artist’s friends playing the violin. There is no other suggested narrative feature; certainly no dramatic events. Each figure appears occupied with their thoughts, while enjoying the music. The originality of the composition is its monumental approach to the mundane. The figures are ordinary, with few distinguishing traits or signs of personality between them. They are surrounded by everyday elements of French provincial life, such as the sleeping dog, the stone floor, wooden chairs, simple wineglasses and plates. The distance between the foreground and the viewer is minimal, capturing the impression that we too are in the room and listening to the music, adding to the intriguing sense of realism.
In his memoir Courbet writes
of how the great Romantic artist Eugene Delacroix had met him in front of the painting at the Salon of 1849, when the older artist expressed amazement at the revolutionary composition. Courbet achieved his first Salon success with After Dinner at Ornans, which won him a gold medal from the jury. The canvas was subsequently purchased by the state. This gold medal meant that Courbet would no longer need the jury’s approval for exhibition at the Salon. His status as a prominent artist was finally recognised.
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Rue Hautefeuille, Paris in c. 1869 — the location of the Brasserie Andler
Courbet’s portrait of his friend Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867), who was a French poet, essayist, art critic and pioneering translator of Edgar Allan Poe, 1848
‘Woman Drawing Water from a Water Urn’ by Jean Siméon Chardin, 1735 — this important eighteenth century artist was noted for his genre paintings, depicting kitchen maids, children and domestic activities.