France, 19th century / 1877
Panoramic View of the Alps, Les Dents du Midi
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Panoramic View of the Alps, Les Dents du Midi as painting (France, 19th century · 1877).
This late, unfinished painting reveals some of Courbet's techniques. At the top of the mountains you can see how different brushstrokes and thickly applied paint were used to differentiate the texture of the clouds from the snow.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this painting as oil on fabric and credits Gustave Courbet (French, 1819–1877).
The museum's collection notes: Courbet was still working on this large landscape, intended for the Paris Universal Exposition of 1879, when he died in December 1877. He painted it during his exile in Switzerland, where he had fled after being condemned for subversive activities in the Paris Commune of 1871. The view looks south over Lake Geneva toward the mountains called Les Dents du Midi. While some areas are heavily worked with a palette knife, the lower right remains unfinished.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtPanoramic View of the Alps, Les Dents du MidiOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.