An Alpine Scene
1874
Look at how those massive, snow-capped peaks practically crush the little wooden chalet below! Gustave Courbet painted this during his final years in exile in Switzerland, fleeing political trouble back in France after the Paris Commune. You can almost feel the cold mountain air in his thick, heavy brushstrokes—especially on those jagged rocks, which he likely attacked with a palette knife. It's a raw, rugged view of nature, far from the polite landscapes of his time. The little fountain in the foreground feels like a quiet, lonely detail in the shadow of such giants.
- Technique
- Oil paint
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