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Fox In The Snow

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Fox in the Snow is eye catching as you walk up to it. There is so much, and so little to look at in the work, yet it captures you. This piece of artwork is displayed on the second floor of the Dallas Museum of Art in the European Art Section. The artist who painted it is Gustave Courbet, a Frenchman who lived from 1819 until 1877. The media used to create this was oil on canvas, and it was painted in the year 1860 during the Realism Era. Fox in the Snow was originally exhibited in the official French Salon of 1961. The painting measures eighty-six by one hundred and twenty eight centimeters. It is surrounded by a very ornate gold wooden frame. There are two sculptures on either side of it. The work is the only painting hanging on that wall …show more content…

The fur on the fox seems to have a thick texture that you can almost reach out and feel. It looks very plush and you can see the individual hairs on his back and tail. “Close inspection of the surface reveals a breaking down of realistic detail – sharp, frantic, unconcealed brush strokes.” (2). While creating this piece Courbet used a paint brush and a palette knife to build up a texture on the canvas, giving it a very Impasto look throughout the fox’s coat. The neutral color palate blend smoothly and is left looking very natural. There is some blood on the snowy ground under the mouse prey from where he has been torn apart as the fox devours him. The fox can be seen in the act of eating the mouse, is body tensed and ready to take off if suddenly interrupted. You can almost see the muscles under the animals pelt as it is standing …show more content…

Darker hues to the left and lighter hues reserved to show the sunlight reflecting off the snow to the right. By arranging the composition around the central figure of the fox, Courbet actually draws all of the attention of the viewer to the animal first, to the action taking place on the canvas. The small areas of blood around the carcass provide extra tension between the works light and dark areas with saturated and muted colors.
The horizon lines all bring you to the focal point of the fox in the middle of the painting, your eyes then travel around the scene, taking in the rocky ledges and the frozen lake in the background. The ground brush is seemingly coated in snow. Landscapes containing snow were not common during the time period that Courbet lived, and it became something that he was sought after to do because of this particular work.

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