Gustave Courbet  The Cliffs of the Loue

In the 1850s, the 'Realist' Courbet visited the forest of Fontainebleau, where the Barbizon painters were working, and in 1864 he spent some time in Franche-Comté, near the source of the river Loue. The result was a series of landscapes that were very far removed indeed from the traditional ideal of picturesque natural beauty. As this canvas shows, Courbet had a preference for gloomy places and dark caves. The artist has emphasised the ruggedness of the rocky landscape by applying the paint thickly, using a palette knife.