The Hammock
The Hammock was made by Courbet in 1844. It measures 70 x 97 cm, which is now owned by O Reinhart am Romerholz in the Swiss Winterthur. In the earlier period, Courbet drew a lot of works based on some simple sketches, such as After Dinner at Ornans, The Harvest in Ornan Vineyard, The Village Maidens, The Spinners, The Women Sifting the Wheat, etc. He used a kind of praise tone to depict the hometown and praise the local customs and practices and the natural beauty. The Hammock (also known as The Girl’s Dream) was a work that Courbet used another lyric style to depict the rural environment and women living in this atmosphere. This painting showed a quiet and lush forest. In the bush, a country girl was napping in the hammock while lying between two trees. The girl’s strong shape and gaudy clothes were strengthened by her heavy body. The curve of the soft hammock was a little exaggerated. The golden leaves around lined up the autumn. The painter was very good at depicting the outdoor space. Under his pen, the women were never made any beautification, whether it is laboring women, or sleeping women, no more modifications, no director or grand gestures. Courbet's first few paintings were finally accepted by the salon, but in the subsequent three years, his paintings were rejected, because the image was too ugly and vulgar. In order to test the salon’s art taste scale, he also began to get some elegance.
This one was a masterpiece that he called "elegance". He said to his friend Champfleury (1821-1889) in front of the salon, "I made all these review committee members turn the direction and put them on a new site: I made a point of taste. Up to now, it can be said that what it is able to say is done, but it is of no use." Afterwards, because of the crowding salon, he became very angry. He challenged it again and simply went his own way and openly accepted the title of realism that people gave to him. He formed another painting studio and was against to salon.
