French realism oil painting master Courbet's painting style

Following the romanticism, a revolution in the next was mainly involved in the programs that subject governed. The painter named this movement was Gustave Courbet. At that time, the past ideas were still prevalent in the school which thought that noble paintings must show the noble characters and workers and peasants are only applicable for Holland famous traditional genre painting scenes. While Courbet held a personal exhibition in a hut in Paris in 1855 and named it “Le Realism, G. Courbet”, Courbet's "realism" had become a symbol of the revolution of art. Courbet didn’t want to learn from anybody and only took the nature as the teacher. Art historian Gombrich said, “To a certain extent, the character and project of Courbet share some similarity with Caravaggio. What Courbet wants is not good looking, but the truth.” It was this dissatisfaction to the subject program and the real requirements that made Courbet was an activist in the thought, and was more in keeping with tradition in the performance of techniques. As a radical thinker, Courbet was stubborn and self-confident, but he was also a master of the Renaissance painting techniques to use these skills, and was extremely handy traditional school.

Courbet liked to describe the things around him and once drew portraits for many of his friends. Around Courbet who was claiming to be "the only most important modern French painter", there were many people dressed in elegant clothing who took “art lovers" identity into Courbet's life. But they did not get the favor of Courbet. Regardless of how good was he and Courbet's friendship, we could also see from the painter’s processing Courbet is very familiar with him. As Courbet himself said, “I hope forever with my art to maintain my livelihood and never depart from my principle, go against my conscience, and never paint to please people and famous things.” Courbet's portraits and landscapes could most manifest his style: solid characters with imposing manner, depicting the penetrating but no sense of rhetoric.

Courbet was intended in doing so. He abandoned the effect which was easily rendered and was determined to turn the world into look in his eyes, which encouraged a lot of people like him to defy the program and work only by their conscience of arts. In the choice of subject matter, they mainly adopted genre paintings, portraits and still lives to strive for the objective description of shape and color and strongly opposed for the historical, mythological and religious paintings advocated by school and excluded literature and the symbol factor. Although realism technique of expression was a common method, Paleolithic paintings, ancient Greece and Rome art sculpture, Gothic, and Renaissance art were already using this technique, they were ideologically radical. They turned their eyes into the modern world and the lower society and joined the description and analysis of the era and social status. Their creation attitude was unsuited to the fashion and claimed based on this. The 9^th century art history could never become the most famous and the most profitable artist history. On the contrary, it was the history of few lonely people. They had the courage, determination, independent thinking, fearless criticism and inspection program, opening up a new prospect to their art.

Self Portrait Man with Leather Belt was a self portrait of Courbet. The color of the whole painting was simple and deep with dark brown background. Dark clothes formed apparent contrast with the face. In the performance of techniques, Courbet strictly adhered to the light and shade change rule with strong characters and heavy and full texture.  Courbet had been pursuing a dramatic color effect and was good at using simple tonal relations and harmonious color levels to the performance work. Courbet liked painting knife to be used in the finished opaque layer, which produced a full color tonal and quietly elegant painting. Courbet's early works were mostly concerning indoor chiaroscuro pattern, even for outdoor exercises.

In the selection and processing on the subject, Courbet was a typical realist (as the history of art, art criticism and art theory terminology, realism often had multiple meanings. It most commonly referred to abandon the usual themes of beauty and describe the "ugly" things or at least the life scenes of the poor class, like Caravaggio or Courbet). He directly selected the art creation material from the real life, but did not exclude those considered ugly and vulgar things. Courbet inherited the realism factors from the Gericault and Delacroix, abandoned their romantic exaggeration and dramatic composition. Courbet said, “The painting is a visual art and should be connected with things that the human eyes could see. And it should discard the classical historical scenes and romantic love getting from Goethe and Shakespeare.” When someone asked Courbet for a church painting angel, he said, “I have never seen an angel. Let me see him, and then I can draw.” Although Courbet was a good painter with realistic ability and artistic skills, but he was not a very talented color master. In the works of Courbet, it is hard to find the first arrival of impressionism.

Courbet's landscape painting composition was simple and generous with majestic style, at the same time paid attention to the subtle changes in the treatment. This strong beauty was that Courbet's painting of scenery was with more weight and sense of volume than the real things. Courbet used broad pen and scraper painted color to increase the heavy component for solid objects. Using this technique with Chinese Cunfa like dry brush technique produces subtle changes in solidity. The Thunderstorm Cliffs we saw was such a masterpiece.

Artisoo offers hand painted oil painting reproductions on canvas of the Old World masters and original Chinese Painting . Also features custom paintings.

Sponsor Ads

• Ad Space Available - Rent it Now!

Report this Page

Created on Dec 31st 1969 18:00. Viewed 0 times.

Share on APSense

Comments