Gustave Courbet

Gustave Courbet was indeed a pivotal figure among the Masters of Realism during the Realism art period. He was born in Ornans, France, in 1819 and became one of the most influential artists of the 19th century.

Courbet’s approach to art was revolutionary for its time. He rejected the romanticism and idealism prevalent in the art world and instead focused on depicting scenes from everyday life with unflinching realism. Courbet believed that art should be grounded in the here and now, portraying the world as it truly appeared rather than conforming to traditional artistic conventions.

One of Courbet’s most famous works is “The Stonebreakers” (1849-1850), which depicts two laborers breaking stones on the side of a road. This painting is a powerful example of Courbet’s commitment to portraying the lives of ordinary people with dignity and respect, highlighting the harsh realities of manual labor.

Another significant work by Courbet is “A Burial at Ornans” (1849-1850), which depicts a funeral procession in his hometown of Ornans. This painting is notable for its monumental scale and its portrayal of everyday individuals rather than heroic or noble figures. By elevating ordinary life to the status of high art, Courbet challenged the established hierarchy of subject matter in the art world.

Courbet’s bold and uncompromising approach to art often brought him into conflict with the authorities and the artistic establishment. He was known for his outspoken political views and his refusal to conform to societal expectations. Courbet’s commitment to artistic freedom and his rejection of academic conventions made him a controversial figure in his time but also paved the way for the development of modern art.

In addition to his contributions to Realism, Courbet’s legacy also extends to his influence on later art movements such as Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. His emphasis on direct observation, bold brushwork, and the portrayal of everyday life laid the groundwork for the artists who would follow in his footsteps.

Overall, Gustave Courbet played a central role in the Realism art period as one of its leading figures. His dedication to portraying the world with honesty and integrity, as well as his willingness to challenge artistic conventions, left an indelible mark on the history of art.

Gustave Courbet

Sylvain Amic

Nowadays it is difficult to conceive of the impact that Gustave Courbet’s paintings made on French art of the mid-nineteenth century. At once casting himself as revolutionary, bohemian and peasant, Courbet (1819-1877) overturned a deeply-entrenched tradition of academic painting in France, and, eschewing the Romanticism of Delacroix and the NeoClassicism of Ingres, coined instead an idiom he named “Realism.” Realism was not pretty, classically proportioned or literary; rather, it confronted the conditions of rural working life, then an unimaginable subject for art. The first masterpiece of this new style was “Burial at Ornans” (1849-1850), a colossal anti-epic that depicted an ordinary funeral in Courbet’s home town. The contrast between the work’s scale and its subject matter was pronounced, and its murky earth tones struck critics as willfully ugly–a defining reaction that would recur throughout the Modern period, particularly in the reception of early works by Manet and Picasso. Courbet’s palette emphasized mass and body politically–that is, in a manner that affirmed the world itself rather than the transcendence of it. His equally famous “The Origin of the World” of 1866, which presented the female genitalia close-up, made this stance explicit. The conceptual beginnings of the “painting of Modern life” are as much in Courbet’s Realism as in Charles Baudelaire’s famous essay of the same name.
In this new assessment, published on the occasion of a major 2008 traveling exhibition, renowned experts shed light on the development of Courbet’s realistic, critical style and trace his influence on his contemporaries and subsequent generations, as well as his relationship to early photography. At 480 pages, this monumental volume provides a long-overdue reckoning of this great artist’s work.

ISBN 3775721096