Artwork
Apples
Apples is an oil painting by the Realist artist Gustave Courbet. It dates from 1872 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The composition focuses entirely on the fruit, utilizing the simple arrangement to explore form and texture through the medium of oil on canvas.
Gustave Courbet's 1872 oil painting depicts apples as its sole subject, firmly establishing the work within the still life genre. The composition focuses entirely on the fruit, utilizing the simple arrangement to explore form and texture through the medium of oil on canvas. While the piece serves as a direct representation of natural objects, the sources do not provide specific details regarding deeper iconographic traditions or symbolic meanings associated with these particular apples beyond their physical depiction.
Technique & Style
Apples is an oil painting executed on canvas, measuring 73 cm in height and 59 cm in width. The work depicts a single apple and belongs to the still life genre. It was created by Gustave Courbet in 1872 and is part of the Rijksmuseum's collection, having been owned by Maria Catharina barones van Pallandt.
History & Provenance
Gustave Courbet painted Apples in 1872, an oil on canvas still life measuring 73 cm by 59 cm. The work entered the collection of Maria Catharina barones van Pallandt before being acquired by the Rijksmuseum, which currently holds it in Amsterdam.
Overview
Gustave Courbet’s oil painting Apples was executed in 1872. The work presents a modest still‑life arrangement of six fruit, rendered with a focus on direct observation rather than allegorical or romanticized content. It is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection, where it is displayed among other examples of Courbet’s mature realism.
Context
Apples exemplifies Courbet’s departure from the Romantic idealization prevalent in earlier French art, aligning instead with the realist principle of portraying subjects as they appear in nature. This approach anticipated later developments in Impressionism and early modern movements, where the focus on direct visual perception and material texture became central concerns.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Jean Désiré Gustave Courbet (UK: KOOR-bay; US: koor-BAY; French:; 10 June 1819 – 31 December 1877) was a French painter who led the Realism movement in 19th-century French painting.
