Castle of Chillon, Evening

Approaching his painting with a vigorous naturalism, or "realism" as it was first called in his private showing at the Exposition Universelle in 1855, Courbet struggled to give the same regard and respect to all of his subjects – from his landscapes and still-life paintings to the monumental portraits of life around him. Thick, viscous oil paint boldly applied gives the coarse texture of this work in which the artist has built up the composition using dark grounds, working from dark to light. The painting of the famous medieval castle of Chillon (once belonging to the Dukes of Savoy) overlooking Lake Geneva was probably painted on one of the artist's visits to La Tour-de-Peilz, situated a few miles from the lake. In 1873 Courbet took up residence in the town as an exile and produced several more pictures of this picturesque setting.