View of Ornans

This landscape, probably painted in the mid-1850s, stands at the beginning of a long series of views of the countryside of the artist's native town. It may be identified by the distinctive church steeple rising above the cluster of houses along the banks of the river Loue. The cliff in the distance is the Roche du Mont. The bridge has traditionally been identified as that of the town of Scey-en-Varais, located a few miles downstream from Ornans. Courbet felt a deep connection to the rugged scenery of the Franche-Comté region, taking pride in his status as an outsider in the genteel confines of Paris.