Lovers in the Countryside by Gustave Courbet

By exploring the universal theme of loving intimacy with a completely disarming sincerity, Gustave Courbet produces a portrait of great lyricism entitled “Lovers in the Countryside”. Freeing itself totally from theatrical and artificial romantic representations, this realist painting focuses on the purest expression of shared feelings. The artist chooses to place his characters in a twilight environment that beautifully accentuates the complicity and tenderness of their silent embrace.

A man and a woman are depicted in close-up, embraced against each other in a tight frame. The man, possessing dark curly hair and a fine mustache, tenderly holds the young woman against him. The latter, with a delicate profile and red hair, closes her eyes with a serene smile, her face bathed in a bright light coming from the left. She wears a black garment with a pleated white collar and a red ribbon, her black-gloved hand resting on her companion’s shoulder. The background is a landscape of dark hills under a grey and threatening storm sky, creating a dramatic contrast with the sweetness of the lovers.

The painter shows absolute mastery of oil painting by playing on the contrasts of light and shadow to model the faces. His ability to render the velvety texture of the skin and the movement of the hair testifies to an extraordinary craftsmanship.