Lauren Boyd

AS. 010.337
Impressionism, Tradition, Originality: What’s New Under the Sun?
December 11, 2009

Gustave Courbet, The Shaded Stream at Le Puits Noir, 1860-65

Introduction

A painting is a window into its artist’s soul. By studying it, a

person can learn some of what the artist found important or

fascinating, his/her state of mind during the creation of the piece and

the creators philosophy of art. In order to correctly study the piece

though, one needs an understanding of the artist and his/her

background, including other works done by the artist and works that

inspired the artist. It is with this approach, by studying works created

and possible inspirational works, that I will attempt to analyze The

Shaded Stream at Le Puits Noir by Gustave Courbet, 1860-65 (figure

1). From this study, I will attempt to discover what traditions Courbet

combined, both from other artists and from his own art, to create Le

Puits Noir.

Gustave Courbet was born in Ornans, France, on June 10, 1819.

He grew up loving art. In the late 1830’s and early 40’s Courbet began

to travel back and forth between France, Holland and Belgium. He was

introduced to many works of tradition in these places including 17th

century Dutch and Flemish landscape. The study of such works lead to

Courbet’s fascination with Realism. This fascination combined with the

French Revolution in 1848 and the rejection of his pieces to the Salon

in 1847 drove Courbet to become a Realist painter. In his book

Gustave Courbet: His Life and Art, Jack Lindsay noted that during this

time,

[…] his general rebellion against the bourgeois world of Paris

which matured politically in 1848, […] his growing conviction that he

could not adequately

express his personality within the bounds laid down by the

prevailing art

authorities, and that he must somehow break through the

classical romantic

impasse […] Out of the fusion of these factors he achieved his

new sense of

the objects as something to which he was powerfully drawn, but

which he

also held at arm’s length, admitting both is inherent forces and

its right to

exist in its unique nature. The result was his Realism (Lindsay,

87)

This new Realism was not received well by critics and lead to Courbet’s

eventual concentration on contemporary life (Le Puits Noir was created

during this time). This new approach, in Courbet’s mind, was still not

received warmly by the critics and lead the artist to an unhappy death

in December of 1877.

This short summary of Courbet’s life is important to understand

the different aspects combined in the piece studied below. The

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following paper will mostly focus on Courbet’s interest in 17th century

Dutch and Flemish art, his use of Realism as an artist and his focus on

depicting contemporary images.

Description of Le Puits Noir

The Shaded Stream at Le Puits Noir, 1860-65, is a relatively small

canvas measuring only 64.2 x 79.1 cm. and is part of the Cone

Collection at the Baltimore Museum of Art. The paint is applied very

heavily to the canvas. Viewing the piece up close, one can see

individual brushstrokes that are thick and appear to be very heavy, but

backing away from the piece, these brushstrokes blend together to

create an almost fluid, glassy look to the painting. This fluidity is

further enhanced by the perceived subject matter of the piece, a

stream.

The painting depicts the scene of a calm stream running through

the middle of a wooded area. The stream starts in the lower left side

of the canvas and continues to snake its way up to the middle right

drawing the viewer into its space. Rocks are placed in the stream

creating space and dimension in which it is almost possible to imagine

inhabiting. The bank to the right of the stream is covered with dense

foliage and as the eye continues following it, the picture disappears

into the darkness of a seemingly densely wooded area. A rock cliff

bounds the left side of the stream. In the very center of the painting,

set into the cliff, is what appears to be a small cave through which

some of the stream is flowing. The stream itself is very reflective

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creating an almost ephemeral, relaxing atmosphere. The viewer feels

drawn to the painting not only because of its inward lines but also its

emotion of serenity.

Serenity is created not only by the shape of the stream but also

by the color scheme Courbet chose to use in this painting. Earth tones

are used exclusively, the only colors used are shades of brown and

green (even the dark areas aren’t black but a very dark green). The

other aspect to the calmness of this painting is its structural harmony.

The commanding presence of the rock face on the left is balanced out

by the woods to the right and the empty space created by the stream

in the center. The cave is also balanced with the receding tree line

and the enclosing of the trees around the river.

Upon first glance, I was memorized by this scene with its inviting

nature and subtle hints of light coming through the trees. It truly looks

as if Courbet sat outside with his easel and palette and captured a

moment from nature. I felt that the work had been inspired and was

original mostly because of the feeling it tried to evoke from its viewers.

However, upon further inspection and research, I began to realize that

this work is the continuation of a long line of tradition (both from other

artists and from Courbet himself). The rest of the essay will be

focused on these traditions and the way in with Courbet utilized them

to create this piece.

Rembrandt

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 From all the time he spent in Holland and Belgium, it seems very

clear that Courbet became interested in Dutch and Flemish art at one

point during his life. To what extent this interest affected his artwork is

not something that can easily be decided but, based on works he made

during and after that time period, it seems that Courbet picked up a

liking for the works of Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606-1669)

perhaps for his early use of what would be called Realism. Rembrandt

painted in the Netherlands in the middle of the 17th century and

revolutionized the idea of art at that time. While the tradition of high

art only included history or biblical paintings and portraits, Rembrandt

began painting landscapes void of any meaning except the one of the

natural world. This was a revolutionary idea and has shaped the

history of art ever since. Many artists of the early 19th century

continuing on through the time of the Impressionists to today were and

are influenced by Rembrandt’s works but perhaps the most inspired

was Courbet.

The influence Rembrandt had on Courbet is evident in Courbet’s

works throughout his life. Perhaps the most telling work is his tribute

to Rembrandt that he painted in 1869 entitled Copy of a Rembrandt

Self Portrait (Figure 2). This portrait is very similar to Rembrandt’s Self

Portrait with Beret and Turned-Up Collar (Figure 3) (1659, 84.4 x 66

cm., National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.). Courbet’s copy is

almost a mirror image of the one done by Rembrandt. Both portraits

are set against a plain, brown background. The figures are turned
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almost fully to the sides (Rembrandt’s to the viewer’s left, Courbet’s to

the right) with the heads facing forward and eyes not quite looking at

the viewer but pondering something off in the distance. Hands are

folded and expressions include the same downturned mouth. The

dress in both pictures is also very similar with a ruffled shirt, over coat

with upturned collar and a hat. The only evident difference between

the two figures is the quality of cloth for each outfit. Rembrandt

painted himself in humble clothing while Courbet depicts him in

luxurious material, a full brimmed hat and gloves. The quality of dress

chosen by Courbet to place on Rembrandt shows his reverence of the

early Master in that it tries to convey his importance and status to the

viewer.

Another set of portraits, one done by Rembrandt the other by

Courbet, can also be used to create the connection Courbet felt with

his predecessor although not quite as strongly. This pair is Self-

Portrait with Easel done by Rembrandt in 1660 (Figure 4) (oil on

canvas, 111 x 90 cm., Musée du Lourve, Paris) and Portrait of H. J. van

Wisselingh done by Courbet in 1846 (Figure 5) (oil on panel, 57.2 x 46

cm., The Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas). Although the

similarity between these two figures is less, and is not explicitly stated

in Courbet’s title, they resemble one another in the background,

headdress and expression. Now that a connection has been

established between Courbet and Rembrandt, it will be easier to see

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the similarities between Rembrandt’s landscapes and Courbet’s Le

Puits Noir.

The first thing I noticed when beginning to analyze Le Puits Noir

was Courbet’s use of the reflections of rock and tree on the water of

the stream. They appear to be mirror images of the scene above that

water that slowly fade away. The stream takes on a glass-like quality

and during small instants ceases to be a moving object in nature. This

“quality” (detailed in Figure 6) is similar to that of Rembrandt’s The

Rest of the Flight into Egypt (Figure 7 and detail figure 8) painted in

1647 (34 x 48 cm., National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin). The water in

both of these images acts like a mirror, not even breaking up its

reflection in the ripples created by its subtle movement. Both

paintings contain the same serenity discussed above and the reflected

images are a big part of creating that serenity. Where there are

people, as in Rembrandt’s image, they are accepted by nature creating

a peace between the two. Although Courbet’s image does not have

the connection between humanity and nature within the painting, it is

a very inviting scene and turns that connection into the nature within

the picture and the human viewer outside of the picture.

Another technique borrowed by Courbet from Rembrandt is the

way in which trees and foliage are depicted on top of both the sky and

each other. The trees do not seem to be allowing beams of light from

the sky to come through their leaves, yet they are not blocking the

illumination given by that light. The trees and leaves are also laid on
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top of one another in such a way that, although everything is relatively

the same color, each leaf and branch is distinguishable from the next

(detail of Le Puits Noir Figure 9). A great example of this technique is

utilized by Rembrandt in Landscape with a Castle painted in 1632

(Figure 10, detail figure 11) (oil on panel, 44,5 x 70cm., Musée du

Lourve, Paris) The effects discussed above are due to the layering

technique of paint upon paint creating a heavy, opaque, almost three-

dimensional-like quality. These examples, and many others, were

listed to show the tradition of Rembrandt continued on by Courbet in

his painting Le Puits Noir.

Female Sexuality

Turning from following traditions of Old Masters to following

Courbet’s own trend, I feel it is appropriate to discuss the other works

being created by Courbet at this time period and the relationships they

have to Le Puits Noir. During the 1860’s, Courbet was in the middle of

his vision to create painting that depicted contemporary, every day

life. This theme leads to two different types of paintings, female

sexuality and landscape. Although these seem to be two very different

categories, below I will show how Le Puits Noir, along with a few other

paintings, is the intersection between the two.

Courbet seemed to discover the theme of female sexuality in the

late 1850’s and 1860’s. Except for a brief moment in the mid 1840’s

where he created Le Bacchante ca. 1844-47 (Figure 12) (oil on canvas,

65 x 81 cm., Rau Foundation, Cologne), this subject does not regularly

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appear in his art until then. Out of all the images of women he created

during this time period, two of them seem to mainly stand out as

having a connection with Le Puits Noir.

The first image is Nude with White Stockings created by Courbet

in 1861 (Figure 13) (oil on canvas, 65 x 84 cm., Barnes Foundation,

Merion, Pennsylvania). In this image, a young girl is sitting nude on

the grass and is putting stockings on her feet exposing herself to the

viewer. This image, combined with The Origin of the World painted by

Courbet in 1866 (Figure 14) (oil on canvas, 46 x 55 cm., Musée

d’Orsay, Paris), seems to explicitly center on Courbet’s fascination with

female sexuality and the connection he made between grottos, caves

and the vagina. This connection is used by Courbet to further connect

the two themes of sexuality and landscapes. On these themes Lindsay

says of Nude with White Stockings,

If we look at its structure and make a sketch, keeping the

essential layout but

transforming the human sections into rocks, tree clumps and the

like, we

arrive at a typical landscape of the kind that deeply stirred

Courbet – the

vagina forming the cave entry, the water grotto, which recurs in

his scenes.

The point is worth making because it helps us to see how he

created the
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 wonderfully compact pattern of the body here, and how a certain

symbolism

was present in many of the landscapes […] (Lindsay, 217-218).

In his book Courbet’s Realism, Michael Fried connects this quote to one

made by Werner Hofmann,

Similarly, Werner Hofmann has associated The Origin of the

World with a drawing of a cave called the “Dame vert” from an

early sketchbook:

What again and again draws Courbet’s eye into caves, crevices,

and grottoes is

The fascination that emanates from the hidden, the

impenetrable, but also the longing for security [Geborgenheit].

What is behind this is a panerotic mode of experience that

perceives in nature a female creature and consequently projects

the experience of cave and grotto into the female body. At this point

“realism” turns into “symbolism,” for even if the title of this

picture – The Origin of the World – does not come from Courbet, it

would not be difficult to determine its perceptible symbolic

dimension from the context that we have attempted to lay out

here. Courbet painted a1 “regressus ad uterum.” This compulsive

wish is the key that leads to the understanding of his women and

1 The translation of Hofmann quoted by Fried was taken from: Werner

Hofmann, “Courbets Wirklichkeiten,” in Courbet und Deutschland, pg.
610.

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 landscapes. In this way both themes end up on a common level

of meaning.

Obviously there is something to […] Hofmann’s observation

(Fried, 210- 212).1

These scholastic quotes help make the connection between the

cave in the Le Puits Noir painting (Figure 15) and the exposed areas of

the girls in Nude with White Stockings and The Origin of the World,

though this is not the only landscape that seems to have this

connection. Courbet painted The Source of the Loue (Figure 16) (oil on

canvas, 99.7 x 142.2 cm., H. O. Havemayer Collection, Metropolitan

Museum of Art, New York) in 1864. It shares with Le Puits Noir not only

the same time period and theme, but also the same technique of

painting. These three factors connect the two and place them in the

same category as making the bridge between female sexuality and

landscape painting. Like Le Puits Noir, The Source of the Loue is a

heavily painted canvas with many layers with which to build up its

surface. It utilizes the same color scheme, the presence of a river and

(most importantly for this topic) the dark cave in the center of the

picture drawing the viewer’s eye inward. In light of the topic being

discussed, the flowing river in this picture, as opposed to the calm

waters of Le Puits Noir, signifies passion and excitement. Perhaps it

represents a woman at the height of her sexuality.

Conclusion

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 Due to his introduction of the works of artists such as Rembrandt

in his early career, Courbet developed a style heavily centered on

Realism and landscape. He painted with a particularly heavy stroke

that emphasized his capturing of contemporary subject matters as

opposed to perfectly and lightly depicted historical or biblical subject

matters. Courbet also discovered the use of reflection to depict

serenity and harmony within a scene. This lead to a style that is

identifiable with Courbet alone.

Later in his life, he became obsessed with the theme of female

sexuality and began to focus his works around this theme. In an

attempt to only depict the contemporary, Courbet was lead into two

categories, landscape and sexuality. While not every painting done

during this time period depict both categories at the same time, there

are pieces (especially Le Puits Noir), which unite the two creating a

bridge across the genres.

The study of Courbet’s connection to Rembrandt and the

fascination he had with female sexuality leads me to believe, because

of the factors stated in the paper above, that Courbet in fact did not

create The Shaded Stream at Le Puits Noir as a completely original

work independent of tradition but that it was a clashing of traditions

which created a new idea. The factors listed in the paper above point

in the direction of Courbet utilizing traditions in such a way as to

further his art and create new concepts from old traditions. He also

was able to combine two traditions, that of sexuality and landscape

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painting, into one painting creating an innovative idea but not an

original concept. This idea is one that he clearly continued with

paintings such as The Source of the Loue and others centered on the

themes discussed in the paper above. He was the first to paint using

this idea and in that sense was a great innovator. Courbet had

stumbled upon a subject and style that would shape not only the

Impressionists that followed him, but also the entire future of art.

Appendix

Figures

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Works Cited

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Fried, Michael, Courbet’s Realism, (Chicago: The University of Chicago

Press, 1990)

Lindsay, Jack, Gustave Courbet: His Life and Art (New York: Haper and

Row, 1973)

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 Bibliography

Boas, George, Courbet and the Naturalistic Movement: Essays Read at

the Baltimore Museum of Art May 16, 17, 18, 1938. (Baltimore:
The Johns Hopkins Press, 1938)

Courbet, Gustave, Edited and Translated by Petra ten-Doesschate Chu,

Letters of Gustave Courbet (Chicago: University of Chicago Press,
1992)

Fernier, Jean-Jacques, Jean-Luc Mayaud, Patrick Le Nouëne, Courbet et

Ornans, (Paris: Éditions Hercher, 1989)

Fried, Michael, Courbet’s Realism. (Chicago: The University of Chicago

Press, 1990)

Lindsay, Jack, Gustave Courbet: His Life and Art. (New York: Haper and

Row, 1973)

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