In terms of color, the artwork has minimal unconventional features. A robust white underlay and vivid amber yellow, vermilion, and olive green provide a welcome contrast to the dark tones that prevail in the crowd-focused horizontal strip. The colors used are given a wide range of intonations, with vibrant pops of color interspersed throughout. In addition to capturing the shapes and defining the character’s positions, this composition adds a dynamic aspect to the setting. With the help of a paintbrush and a palette knife (for the background and earth), further focus is put on the individuals and the environment.
In addition, the red faces and ball-shaped noses of the Leaders of the Church give the observer the impression that they are intoxicated or dangerous. A sarcastic portrayal of religious figures in this artwork is exceptionally hurtful. Courbet has undermined the Church’s leadership through his painting. Moreover, the cross raised by a guy on top of the hill seems isolated from the gathering. As a result, the cross’s detachment from the crowd makes the picture’s religious connotations doubtful.
After the French Revolution of 1848, an artistic trend known as realism arose in France during the 1850s. For more than two centuries, Romanticism dominated French literature and art. As a reaction to Romanticism’s heightened emotionalism and dramatic over-the-topness, realism emerged. Realism is accepting a situation and readiness to deal with it consistently. Courbet portrays people dressed in ragged and tattered garments in his artwork. As part of Courbet’s quest to convey the “truth,” the artist depicts a man and a youngster who appear far too youthful and inexperienced to be performing such physically demanding work. Amid the turbulence of the pre-century, Courbet’s brushwork is harsh. The painting shows that the artist deliberately colored his painting to resist the shiny finish of his work.