PHOTOGRAPHY AND CARICATURES
Section 9
Gustave Courbet recognised the potential of photography early on and maintained close contacts with photographers of his time. He used the new medium both to disseminate his public image and to reproduce his works. Photographs also served him as a visual resource for painting.
While critics saw this as a lack of artistic composition, the almost photographic pictorial solutions in his works testify to a conscious engagement with the expressive possibilities of the new medium.
Courbet par Gill (1870) by André GillOriginal Source: bpk | Adoc-Photos
Cover of the satirical magazine "L’Éclipse"
This work, not included in the exhibition, shows Courbet as a public figure. Here, he becomes the target of the caricaturist’s sharp pen in the weekly magazine “L’Eclipse” (Solar Eclipse)
André Gill depicts him in his full corpulence, with a pipe and painting tools. In his right hand, Courbet holds the red ribbon of the “Légion d’Honneur”. Courbet had rejected the honour in an open letter, citing his artistic independence
Only a short time later, the painter would become involved in the Paris Commune.
Gustave Courbet’s drawings remain among the less familiar areas of his oeuvre. Their true extent has only become visible through recent research. Drawings after his own paintings, which functioned as mementos or documentary pieces, are of particular importance. In his large-format charcoal works, Courbet demonstrates his full mastery: by bringing light out of a dark ground, he creates striking pictorial effects.
Drawing: Paysage de l´Hérault (around 1854) by Gustave CourbetOriginal Source: Private collection
Landscape of the Hérault, c. 1854
In Landscape of the Hérault, Courbet shows, among other things, the pines and cypresses growing there. The pencil drawing probably dates from one of his visits to Alfred Bruyas in Montpellier, around 1854 or 1857.
At Palavas, Courbet painted outdoors and created seascapes. Though marked by Mediterranean motifs — sea, ships and vegetation — the southern French landscape still reflects his preference for close, dark views of nature.
The political events of the early 1870s fundamentally changed Gustave Courbet’s life. After the fall of the Second Empire and the end of the Franco-Prussian War, he campaigned in Paris for the protection of art and cultural property and took on an important role within the republican arts administration.
In connection with the Paris Commune, however, he was held responsible for the demolition of the Vendôme Column, although the decision had already been made before he joined. Imprisonment, a fine and social ostracism followed. When further legal and financial burdens threatened, Courbet left France and settled on Lake Geneva in 1873.
His late work is shaped by the experience of exile, memory and quiet melancholy. Recurring views of the lake or Chillon Castle combine with an increasingly focused observation of light, atmosphere and natural phenomena.
The Chillon Castle (1874) by Gustave CourbetOriginal Source: Musée Courbet Ornans
Chillon Castle, 1874
Courbet depicted Chillon Castle, situated on Lake Geneva, as an almost secluded structure surrounded by water.
The building, which had already been frequently visited and depicted during the Romantic period, held special significance for the artist living in Swiss exile. It could be understood both as a place of refuge and as a symbol of isolation. This ambivalent reading is reinforced by Lord Byron’s famous poem The Prisoner of Chillon, which links the fortress with captivity and the pursuit of freedom.
The Chillon Castle (1874) by Gustave CourbetOriginal Source: Musée Courbet Ornans
The audio files are currently only available in German.
Lord Byron, from: The Prisoner of Chillon, Sonnet on Chillon
The Painter's Studio (1855) by Gustave CourbetOriginal Source: GrandPalaisRmn (musée d'Orsay) / Hervé Lewandowski
Welcome to the Artist’s Studio
The learning space at the end of the exhibition explores aspects of Gustave Courbet’s art in greater depth.
A reproduction of the monumental painting of his Paris studio (1855) from the Musée d’Orsay (Allégorie réelle déterminant une phase de sept années de ma vie artistique) addresses themes such as landscape, the nude and artistic self-presentation.
It also illustrates the artist’s extensive networks. Two painted samples relating to Gustave Courbet, which visitors are invited to touch, offer an insight into his painting techniques and the physical qualities of the paint.
Text & Concept: Education and Outreach, Museum Folkwang (Jana Kibat, Peter Daners)
Implementation: Marcus Feldbrügge
Narrator: Raphael Westermeier
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