Gustave Courbet, Seaside at Palavas, 1854

While visiting his good friend, art collector Alfred Bruyas, in Montpellier, France, Gustave Courbet experienced the ocean for the first time. At the age of thirty-five, Courbet became infatuated with the vastness of the water, the freedom and infinite space that stretched between other nations, and the mystery of what could lie in the deep space. All of this is evident in his mid-life work Seaside at Palavas.

The most captivating quality of the ocean, according to Courbet, was the ability of the water to capture the light of the sun and cloud. Therefore, Courbet used a expansive pallet of greens, blues, and whites to encapsulate the brightness of the sky. The clouds in the sky, mirrored by the gentle wave of the ocean, create symbiosis between the heavens and the depths of the Earth. The gradual darkening of the sea simulates the boundlessness of the ocean that Courbet sought to reproduce in the painting. The smoothness of the waves creates a sense of calmness in the sea, making the painting unique in the fact that it portrayed a more inviting element of the water.

The figure in the bottom left corner of the painting is one of its more disputed elements. The fact that the man has removed is hat shows the respect and awe that Courbet felt when he first saw the freedom of the ocean. His charcoal shading blends with the rocks, making him an afterthought compared to the diverse coloring of the ocean. It's probable that Courbet attempted to paint himself, for his catharsis is clearly portrayed in the complexity of the water. Yet the omniscient point of view when looking at the painting could also insinuate that Courbet was an onlooker to the man saluting the ocean.