Red Apples 1871

Gustave Courbet created 'Red Apples' using oil paint on canvas, a traditional medium for fine art. However, Courbet's radical approach to using this medium set him apart. Look closely, and you can see the thick application of paint; Courbet often applied paint directly from the tube using a palette knife, rather than a brush. This technique allowed him to build up texture, capturing the weight and form of the apples in a tangible way. Courbet was interested in representing the world as he saw it. In this painting, he elevated everyday objects to the status of fine art, challenging the traditional hierarchy of subject matter, and rejecting the idealized, academic style of painting, and embracing a more direct, honest representation of the world. By focusing on the materiality of paint and the process of applying it to canvas, Courbet blurred the lines between the act of creation and the final product, inviting viewers to consider the labor and skill involved in producing a painting.