Analysis Of The Gust Of Wind By Gustave Courbet

During the trip to The Museum of Fine Arts of Houston, one of the most captivating two dimensional work was the Gust of Wind by Gustave Courbet. The energetic painting is not just merely oil on canvas, it is the representation of an oncoming storm in a once peaceful meadow surrounding a small pool. This realistic artist is well known for his paintings because they capture day-to-day attributes. Gustave Courbet did not focus on just landscapes, his paintings ranged from nudes, still lifes, to hunting scenes. Courbet was influenced by everyday life, including when he toured the Netherlands and Belgium. Almost all of his paintings flourished through personal experience; anywhere from his visits to a salon to the peasants on the streets. Although Gustaves childhood surroundings such as his family farm, could have influenced Courbet to evolve into an artist, by being introduced to literary works by Victor Hugo and Lelia, he grew into a widely known painter. Even though literary works were where he began, his works soon evolved into more realistic themes. The reason behind that was, “ he believed that realism is more focused on rough handling of pigments, and that it should present the reality and harshness occurring in day to day situations.” In simpler terms, Courbet wanted to capture the essence of human life in his paintings. Not only did he include the flaws of nature and humans, he believed that the mistakes were what made the painting even more realistic. For example, take The Gust of Wind, not only is this Gustave’s interpretation of an oncoming storm in a peaceful meadow, it is his way of capturing the meadow at its weakest point. On …show more content…
In simple terms, The Dance sculpture was different than the other pieces because there was noticeable positive-negative