Beach in Normandy
c. 1872/1875
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 61.3 x 90.2 cm (24 1/8 x 35 1/2 in.) framed: 87.9 x 116.2 cm (34 5/8 x 45 3/4 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CF
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Chester Dale Collection
Accession Number
1963.10.10
Art Historical Context
**Beach in Normandy** by Gustave Courbet (c. 1872/1875) captures the rugged beauty of France's Normandy coast in a classic oil on canvas, measuring 61.3 x 90.2 cm. As a pioneer of Realism, Courbet rejected idealized Romantic landscapes, instead painting directly from nature to depict the raw, unvarnished world. This work, from his later years, reflects his fascination with seascapes, where he often positioned himself at the water's edge to convey the sea's power and the beach's expanse with bold, textured brushstrokes. Created during a turbulent period—Courbet was in exile following the Franc...
About the Artist
Gustave Courbet · 1819–1877
Jean Désiré Gustave Courbet (1819-1877) was a French painter who revolutionized 19th-century art as the founding figure of the Realism movement. Born in Ornans, a small town in the Doubs region of France, Courbet came from a prosperous farming family with anti-monarchical roots—his maternal grandfather had participated in the French Revolution. This background shaped his lifelong commitment to dep...