The Seaside at Palavas

The Seaside at Palavas is an 1854 painting of the beach at Palavas-les-Flots by Gustave Courbet. It 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.