This work was done under the impression of the famous “stormy waves” by Gustave Courbet. The artist painted about 60 paintings with this subject on the coast of Normandy from 1865 to 1870. I love Courbet’s art and I love Normandy.
My “Waves” was done in a couple of hours – in the fast paced Courbet style. For the (hope, temporary) absence of the coast of Normandy, two “wave” landscapes of Courbet were taken as a reference point: from Frankfurt (Staedel Museum) and Tokyo (National Museum of Western Art).
This is already my third approach to the stormy sea – the first signs of serial production are evident, but Courbet is certainly far from the impressive size of the “wave” series.
The waves of the sea always excite me. The plot of the crashing wave that rolls right over the viewer attracted Courbet with its multi-layered symbolism – this is liberated nature, a metaphor for life’s struggle, it is not only violence and destruction, but also creation and renewal.
Oil, canvas on cardboard, 40×50, 2020
