Grotto of the Loue

Painted in 1864, this scene by Gustave Courbet takes us to the source of the Loue River in eastern France, close to the town where the artist grew up. Courbet came back to this rocky spot again and again, and you can see why it fascinated him. Massive stone walls arch over a pool of dark water that flows out from somewhere deep inside the cave. Courbet piled on his paint in thick, rough layers, sometimes spreading it with a palette knife rather than a brush, which gives the rock a gritty, almost touchable quality.

As a leading voice of French realism, Courbet had little patience for the dreamy myths and grand historical dramas that filled the galleries of his day. His goal was to show the world as it actually looked, and that meant something as plain as a wet cave could become a worthy subject. Shades of deep green and gray draw the eye toward the shadowy opening, where daylight gives up and the darkness takes over. The painting does not shout for attention, but it carries a quiet mystery that rewards anyone willing to stand with it for a while.