1869 (ca.), Gustave Courbet, The Wave -- National Gallery of Scotland (Edinburgh)
From the museum label: Courbet was fascinated by the sea and painted around fifty variations on this subject. He was a strong swimmer who was nicknamed 'the seal' by local fishermen. This picture was painted at Etretat, a small bathing resort on the Normandy coast between Fécamp and Le Havre. His focus on a single wave, curling over on the point of breaking, may have been inspired by Japanese art.
1869 (ca.), Gustave Courbet, The Wave -- National Gallery of Scotland (Edinburgh)
From the museum label: Courbet was fascinated by the sea and painted around fifty variations on this subject. He was a strong swimmer who was nicknamed 'the seal' by local fishermen. This picture was painted at Etretat, a small bathing resort on the Normandy coast between Fécamp and Le Havre. His focus on a single wave, curling over on the point of breaking, may have been inspired by Japanese art.