How did Gustave Courbet’s painting style change during the 1860s?

During the 1860s, the painting style of Gustave Courbet shifted toward a more sensuous and colorful manner.1

While he remained a leader of the Realist movement, his work in this decade included notable explorations of nature and light. In 1865, he began painting seascapes along the French coast, where he carefully observed storm skies and air currents to depict the "architecture of a tempest." These achievements were significant, as they helped pave the way for Impressionism by focusing on the reproduction of light and color.1