The Source of the Loue is the name of several mid-19th century paintings by French artist Gustave Courbet. Done in oil on canvas, the paintings depict the river Loue in eastern France.
The Source of the Loue | |
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![]() One of Courbet's series (99.7 x 142.2 cm, oil on canvas) in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. | |
Artist | Gustave Courbet |
Year | 1863–64 |
Medium | Oil on canvas |
Location | Various |
An artist with naturalist and Realism proclivities, Gustave Courbet often painted the river Loue near Ornans, his hometown in eastern France. From 1863 to 1864, he painted a series of four paintings titled The Source of the Loue. The paintings depict rocky crags and grottos with the river flowing beneath them, a motif in keeping with Courbet's earlier works of Realism. All of the paintings showcase Courbet's skill in using a palette knife to apply pigment.[1]
At the time of their creation, the paintings (along with other works by Courbet) were not widely accepted in the art community as they were considered works of Realism, then a fringe artistic movement.[2]
Courbet's series is now split between the collection of several institutions. One painting is in the collection of the Walters Museum, one is in the collection of the Kunsthaus Zürich,[3] one is in the collection of the Kunsthalle Hamburg, and one is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.[1]
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