Courbet’s “Burial at Ornans”: A Study in Realism
The painting features a predominance of horizontal lines, broken only by the cross. The contours are well defined with very limited alignments. The chromatic range leans towards brown (representing the land) and black (symbolizing mourning), contrasted by the white of the church, the village women, and a goose. The treatment of daylight suggests the early hours of dawn, with shadows that are not yet strongly defined. Loose brushwork emphasizes linearity over a purely pictorial approach.
Composition
The composition focuses on the grave of the deceased, surrounded by a group of men, with particular attention drawn to the kneeling figure. The composition is closed, with the characters occupying approximately three-quarters of the space. The gaze is directed towards the left side of the frame, where the characters are positioned more prominently, creating a circle around the burial site. The landscape is also interrupted at this point by the presence of the cross. The time depicted is imaginary and static.
It is believed that the space and the characters are real, but the situation is staged. The characters were positioned for the painting, suggesting it was not an actual funeral. The location is real, representing the author’s hometown.
Style
The painting belongs to the Realist style, which emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century. Realist artists depicted everyday ‘heroes’ realistically, often painting in their homes or studios, rather than on the streets. Factors influencing this movement included the rise of the bourgeoisie, positivism, and the problems associated with industrialization and the labor movement.
Features of Realistic Painting:
- Rupture of the traditional hierarchy.
- Emphasis on particularity: depicting popular types of workers.
- Landscape painting (painting outdoors).
- Figure painting (painting people and objects): Courbet, Millet, Fortuny, Daumier. These artists broke down the traditional subject matter.
Courbet’s Influences
Courbet, born in 1819 in Ornans, often used his village as the setting for his works, as seen in this example. Despite his rural upbringing, he traveled to Paris, where he was influenced by Baroque painters such as Velázquez, Zurbarán, Rembrandt, Hals, and Rivera. In 1847, he moved to Holland. He desired his work to have political and social connotations, aiming to challenge the bourgeoisie. For him, the role of painting was to reproduce reality as it was, without moral, political, or religious biases.
Significance and Content
The theme of the work is the funeral of a villager in Ornans, Courbet’s hometown, possibly his grandfather, whom he greatly admired. The painting depicts a lack of attention to the ceremony, with the most sentimental figures located on the right side (the weeping women). In the center, two people are shown observing the scene with detachment. This work was heavily criticized by the bourgeoisie and the people of Paris for the perceived ugliness of the characters and the depiction of such a common and ‘ugly’ situation.
Function
This work exemplifies radical realism, where Courbet expresses his ideology by aiming to be a ‘testimony to the fact,’ avoiding the distortions often found in other painters’ works. The author seeks to express nature with absolute accuracy and objectivity. Critics have highlighted the importance of community in this work. While the work evokes pity, it avoids exaggerating death, presenting it as a natural part of life.
Final Thoughts
Courbet aimed to paint not the heroes of the past, but the everyday heroes of his time, depicting their daily activities. “The Burial at Ornans” is a hymn to the life of the people, a pure expression of realism.