The Wave, Gustave Courbet
Gustave Courbet
The Wave
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Gustave Courbet

The Wave, 1869 – 1870


Dimensions
65.6 x 92.4 cm
Physical Description
Oil on canvas
Inventory Number
1433
Acquisition
Acquired in 1908, property of Städelscher Museums-Verein e.V.
Status
On display, 1st upper level, Modern Art, room 4

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About the Work

A thundering wave rolls directly towards the viewer, threatening to carry him off into the turbulent sea. Courbet painted this natural spectacle during stormy weather on the coast of Normandy some sixty times. Executed between 1865 and 1870, the series already sparked the attention of his contemporaries. In addition to the delicate palette, they were fascinated above all by the symbolic import of the wave paintings. Nature unleashed is not only a metaphor for the struggle of life. For Courbet, the wave signified violence and destruction, but also creation and renewal.

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Last update

18.07.2024