The Seaside at Palavas

The Seaside at Palavas 1854 is an oil on canvas painting by the French artist Gustave Courbet. It depicts a solitary figure standing on the coast facing the immensity of the sea.

It of the beach at Palavas-les-Flots. The painting was commissioned by Alfred Bruyas during Courbet's first stay at Montpellier. Courbet originated in Franche-Comté and so the landscapes of Languedoc and the Mediterranean were a revelation. The work was also partly inspired by The Monk by the Sea by Caspar David Friedrich. It is now in the Musée Fabre in Montpellier.