The Kill of Deer

The Kill of a Deer, is a very large picture (355 by 505 cm), representing a hunting scene, painted in 1867 by Gustave Courbet. The picture is currently on display in the Musée d'Orsay of Paris. The painting was done during the winter of 1866-1867. It is in the large format, newly adopted by Courbet, as his other works, A Burial at Ornans and The Artist's Studio. The work was exhibited at French art salons and academies of 1869. The picture caused some scandal since major formats were previously reserved for noble history paintings rather than mere hunting scenes. The scene shows a deer, attacked by a pack of hunting dogs, collapsed on snowy ground. Two characters are on the right. A drill is Cusenier Jules, a resident of Ornans while the man on horseback is Felix Gaudy of Vuillafans. L'Hallali or The Kill of a Deer is a representation of a hunting scene from the seventeenth century. Courbet uses harsh realistic style closer to Flemish models. Hunting scenes are common in the paintings of Courbet; every step of the chase is represented.