Calm Sea
1866 National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
About this artwork
This oil on canvas painting depicts a serene seascape with a vast, light-filled sky occupying the majority of the composition above a quiet, blue-green ocean horizon. It is part of a celebrated series of sea studies painted by the artist during his time on the coast of Normandy.
Did you know?
During the summer of 1866, Gustave Courbet visited the Normandy coast and became fascinated by the shifting moods of the English Channel. He produced a prolific series of seascapes, often painting them quickly to capture the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere on the water's surface, which prefigured later Impressionist experiments with color and light.
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Calm Sea
Gustave Courbet, 1866
