Courbet, Gustave

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{{epname|Courbet, Gustave}}{{claimed}}
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::''For the French Admiral, see [[Admiral Courbet]] (1828-1885)''
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{{epname|Courbet, Gustave}}
 
{{Infobox Artist
 
{{Infobox Artist
 
| name          = Gustave Courbet
 
| name          = Gustave Courbet
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| caption      = Gustave Courbet (portrait by [[Nadar (photographer)|Nadar]]).
 
| caption      = Gustave Courbet (portrait by [[Nadar (photographer)|Nadar]]).
 
| birthname    = Jean Désiré Gustave Courbet
 
| birthname    = Jean Désiré Gustave Courbet
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| birthdate    = [[1819-06-10]]
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| birthdate    = 06-10-1819
 
| location      = [[Ornans]], [[France]]
 
| location      = [[Ornans]], [[France]]
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| deathdate    = [[1877-12-31]]
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| deathdate    = 1877-12-31
 
| deathplace    = [[La Tour-de-Peilz]], [[Switzerland]]
 
| deathplace    = [[La Tour-de-Peilz]], [[Switzerland]]
 
| nationality  = [[France|French]]
 
| nationality  = [[France|French]]
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| field        = [[Painting]], [[Sculpting]]
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| field        = [[Painting]], [[Sculpture|Sculpting]]
 
| training      = [[Antoine-Jean Gros]]
 
| training      = [[Antoine-Jean Gros]]
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| movement      = [[Realism (visual arts)|Realism]]
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| movement      = [[Realism]]
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| famous works  = ''[[Burial at Ornans]]'' (1849-1850)<br>''[[L'Origine du monde]]'' (1866)
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| famous works  = ''Burial at Ornans'' (1849-1850)<br/>''L'Origine du monde'' (1866)
 
}}
 
}}
  
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Jean Désiré '''Gustave Courbet''' (10 June 1819 – 31 December 1877) made a living painting the varied scenes everyday life in [[French|France]]. The very nature of his subject matter established his reputation as one of the leading artists of mid-19th century [[realist|Realism]].  
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Jean Désiré '''Gustave Courbet''' (June 10, 1819 – December 31, 1877) was a [[France|French]] [[Painting|painter]] whose portrayals of [[peasant]]s and scenes of everyday life established him as the leading figure of the [[Realism|realist]] movement of the mid-nineteenth century.  
  
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From Courbet's early days as a painter, he was recognized. Whether his art shocked or intrigued the viewer, the public was paying attention to France's latest talent. It is unusually to create masterpieces at the beginning of a career, but in 1849 and 1850 Courbet produced two paintings that are critically acclaimed as his best work. They are ''The Stone-Breakers'' and ''Burial at Ornans''. With these paintings, Courbet secured a reputation for being different from the popular paintings completed in the [[Neoclassicism|Neoclassic]] and [[Romanticism|Romantic]] genres. His paintings exhibited less controlled brush strokes and more fluidity of movement.
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Following the [[Revolutions of 1848|Revolution of 1848]], his representation of contemporary social reality, his land and seascapes, and his female nudes were free of conventional [[idealism]] and embodied his rejection of the academic tradition. At the age of 28, he produced two paintings that are acclaimed as his best work: ''The Stone-Breakers'' and ''Burial at Ornans''. With these paintings, Courbet secured a reputation as a radical whose departures from the prevailing tastes of [[Neoclassicism]] and [[Romanticism]] were offensive to contemporary art lovers.
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{{toc}}
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Courbet was considered one of the most radical of all nineteenth-century painters and one of the fathers of modern art. He used his realistic paintings of peasants to promote his [[Socialism|socialist]] view of the world. His [[Politics|political]] beliefs were influenced greatly by the life and the [[Anarchism|anarchist]] teachings of [[Pierre-Joseph Proudhon]].  
  
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Courbet wasn't only a painter, he was a political painter. This means that he used his realistic paintings of peasants to promote his [[Socialism|socialist]] view of the world. His political beliefs were influenced greatly by the life and teachings of [[Pierre-Joseph Proudhon]]. While socializing in various artistic and literary circles in [[Paris]] Courbet made several friends, including [[Charles Baudelaire]] and [[Champfleury]].
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==Early life==
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Gustave Courbet was born in the city of Ornans, on June 10, 1819. He grew up under the influence of his temperamental father, a prominent landowner. In 1831, Courbet began attending the Seminary in Ornans, where his own temperamental personality led to rebellious responses to [[religion]] and the [[clergy]]. When Courbet turned 18, he left home to pursue an education at the ''Collège Royal'' at Besançon.  
  
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==Early Life==
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At the ''Collège Royal'' traditional classical subjects were an anathema to Courbet and he encouraged students to revolt against [[tradition]].
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Gustave Courbet was born in the city of Ornans on June 10, 1819. Courbet grew up under the influence of his temperamental father, a prominent landowner of the region. Courbet seems to have had no qualms about stating his opinion and showing disregard for those who did not agree with him. The boy often saw many scenes of peasantry and local life in the Franche-Comté region in which he grew up. When Courbet turned 18, he left home to pursue an education at the Collège Royal at Besançon. Although he didn't plan on becoming a painter by profession, he pursued his interest in it though study.
 
  
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At the Collège Royal, the techniques and methods used came under Courbet's testy scrutiny. He disliked the classical and formalistic methods and subjects the college focused on. In fact, he became so convincing in his argument against the college, that he found students to join his ranks and he led a revolt.
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While studying at the college, Courbet made friends with the aspiring writer, [[Max Buchon]]. When Buchon's ''Essais Poétiques'' (1839) were being published, he commissioned Courbet to [[Illustration|illustrate]] it. Courbet obliged by creating four beautiful [[Lithography|lithographs]] for the work. Also during his studies, he enrolled as an ''externe,'' thus he could not only attend classes at the college, but he was also able to take classes from [[Charles Flajoulot]] at the ''école des Beaux-Arts''.  
  
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While studying at the college, Courbet made friends with the aspiring writer, [[Max Buchon]]. When Buchon's ''Essais Poétiques'' (1839) were being published, he commissioned Courbet to illustrate it. Courbet obliged by creating four beautiful [[Lithography|lithographs]] for the work. Also during his studies, he enrolled as an externe, thus he could not only attend classes at the college, but he was also able to take classes from [[Charles Flajoulot]] at the'' école des Beaux-Arts''.  
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Courbet left the college and moved to [[Paris]] in 1840. Here, he decided to begin an intense study of [[law]], however he quickly changed his mind and realized that his true life's calling was painting. He spent hours upon hours copying various paintings in the [[Louvre]]. His first major breakthrough happened in 1844, with his painting, ''Self-Portrait with Black Dog''. His painting was selected for a showing at the Salon.  
  
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Following the education he received, Courbet left the college and moved to [[Paris]] in 1840. Here he decided to begin an intense study of the law, however he quickly changed his mind and realize that his true life's calling led him to painting. He spent hours upon hours copying various paintings in the [[Louvre]]. His first major breakthrough happened in 1844 with his painting, ''Self-Portrait with Black Dog''. His painting was selected for a showing at the Salon.  
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==Career==
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Between 1844 and 1847, Courbet traveled several times between Ornans and [[Paris]] and also [[Belgium]] and [[Holland]]. After coming into contact with [[J. van Wisselingh]], a young art dealer in [[Amsterdam]], who visited Paris and bought two of Courbet’s works and commissioned a self-portrait, Courbet's work was introduced to an appreciative audience outside of France. Van Wisselingh showed Courbet’s work to a rich collector in [[The Hague]] by the name of [[Hendrik Willem Mesdag]], who purchased seven works. Mesdag was also the leader of [[The Hague School]] which was the most important artistic movement in Holland during the nineteenth century. Courbet’s work comprised an important part of what became the ''Mesdag Museum,'' currently in The Hague.<ref>Rehs.com, [http://www.rehs.com/Gustave_Courbet_Bio.html Gustave Courbet.] Retrieved December 15, 2007.</ref>
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[[image:courbet.karoly.550pix.jpg|left|thumb|150px|''Portrait of Countess Karoly'' (1865)]]
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In 1845, Courbet upped his submissions to the Salon with five paintings, however, only ''Le Guitarrero'' was selected. A year later all of his paintings were rejected. But in 1848, the Liberal Jury eased his anger, recognized his talent, and took all 10 of his entries. The harsh critic [[Champfleury]] apologized profusely to Courbet, praised his paintings, and began a friendship.
  
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The next year Courbet upped his submissions with five paintings, however, only one was selected, it was ''Le Guitarrero''. The year after this, all of his paintings were rejected. But in 1848, the Liberal Jury eased his anger, recognized his talent, and took all 10 of his entries. The harsh critic Champfleury apologized profusely to Courbet, praised his paintings, and began a friendship.
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Courbet achieved artistic maturity with ''After Dinner at Ornans,'' which was shown at the Salon of 1849. His nine entries in the Salon of 1850 included the ''Portrait of Berlioz,'' the ''Man with the Pipe,'' the ''Return from the Fair,'' the ''Stone Breakers,'' and, largest of all, the ''Burial at Ornans,'' which contains over 40 life-size figures whose rugged features and static poses are reinforced by the somber landscape.
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[[Image:Courbet.jpg|thumb|right|250px|''Plage de Normandie''. (c. 1872/1875). Washington D.C.: [[National Gallery of Art]].]]
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In 1851, the [[Second Empire]] was officially proclaimed, and during the next 20 years Courbet remained an uncompromising opponent of Emperor [[Napoleon III]]. At the Salon of 1853, where the painter exhibited three works, the Emperor pronounced one of them, ''The Bathers,'' obscene; nevertheless, it was purchased by a Montpellier innkeeper, [[Alfred Bruyas]], who became the artist's patron and host. While visiting Bruyas in 1854, Courbet painted his first [[seascape]]s.
  
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==Realism==
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Of the 14 paintings Courbet submitted to the [[Paris World Exhibition of 1855]], three major ones were rejected. In retaliation, he showed 40 of his pictures at a private pavilion he erected opposite the official one. That Courbet was ready and willing to stage an independent exhibition marks a turning point in the methods of artistic marketing, as single artist retrospective exhibitions were virtually unheard of. His method of self-promotion would later encourage other influential but reviled artists such as [[James McNeill Whistler]].<ref>Rehs.com, [http://www.rehs.com/Gustave_Courbet_Bio.html Gustave Courbet.] Retrieved December 15, 2007.</ref>
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[[image:courbet.karoly.550pix.jpg|left|thumb|150px|''Portrait of Countess Karoly'' ([[1865]])]]
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One of the rejected works from 1855 was the enormous painting ''The Studio,'' the full title of which was ''Real Allegory, Representing a Phase of Seven Years of My Life as a Painter.'' The work is filled with [[symbolism]]. At the center, between the two worlds expressed by the inhabitants of the left and right sides of the picture, is Courbet painting a [[landscape]] while a nude looks over his shoulder and a child admires his work. [[Champfleury]] found the notion of a "real allegory" ridiculous and concluded that Courbet had lost the conviction and simplicity of the earlier works.
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[[Image:La_belle_Irlandaise_(Portrait_of_Jo).JPG|thumb|right|200px|''Portrait of Jo (La belle Irlandaise)'', a painting of Joanna Hiffernan, the probable model for ''L'Origine du monde'']]
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Even though Courbet began to lose favor with some in his realist circle, his popular reputation, particularly outside France, was growing. He visited [[Frankfurt]] in 1858-1859, where he took part in elaborate [[hunting]] parties and painted a number of scenes based on direct observation. His ''Stag Drinking'' was exhibited in Besançon, where he won a medal, and in 1861 his work, as well as a lecture on his artistic principles, met with great success in [[Antwerp]]. In 1860 he submitted to  the Salon ''La Roche Oraguay'' (Oraguay Rock) and four hunting scenes. Courbet received a second class medal, his third medal overall from the Salon jury.
  
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Gustave Courbet is often given credit for coining the term [[Realism]]. He was innovative in the movements creation, his art fed its rapid growth, and several other artists were soon dubbing themselves "realists".
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Courbet's art of the mid-1860s no longer conveyed the democratic principles embodied in earlier works. He turned his attention increasingly to [[Landscape painting|landscapes]], [[portrait painting|portraits]], and erotic nudes based, in part, on [[Mythology|mythological]] themes. These include  ''Venus and Psyche'' (1864; and a variant entitled ''The Awakening''), ''Sleeping Women,'' ''The Origin of the World'' (1866), and ''Woman with a Parrot'' (1866).
  
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Courbet's [[landscape art|landscapes]] and seascapes were know for their figurative compositions. His art traversed the topics of peasant life, poor working conditions, and abject poverty. Because of his attention to such subject matter, Courbet never quite fit into the other artistic categories of [[Romantic|Romanticism]] or [[Neoclassical|Neoclassicism]]. Courbet felt that these schools of art were not concerned in the pursuit of truth. He truly believed that if his paintings could realistically and truthfully capture the social imbalances and contradictions he saw, then it would spur people to action. His grad portrayal of the harsh realities of life led to much criticism from those who preferred only beauty in their art. He didn't mind the critiques, in fact, he was proud to adopt a cult of ugliness.
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In 1865, his series depicting storms at sea astounded the art world and opened the way for [[Impressionism]].
  
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[[Image:Courbet.jpg|thumb|right|250px|''Plage de Normandie''. (c. [[1872]]/[[1875]]). Washington D.C.: [[National Gallery of Art]].]]
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==Realism==
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Gustave Courbet is often given credit for coining the term [[realism]]. He was innovative in the movements creation, his art fed its rapid growth, and several other artists were soon dubbing themselves "realists."
  
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Courbet was a perfectionist. This carried over into the characteristics that defined realism. Realists were concerned with trueness of line and perfect forms. However, they also embraced a type of roughness when dealing with the paint. They understood that nature, itself, was not perfect, and thus the paintings should reflect the irregularities noted. Thus, with similar artists such as [[Honoré Daumier]] and [[Jean-François Millet]], the idea and form of ''Realism'' was invented in France.
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His art traversed the topics of peasant life, poor working conditions, and abject [[poverty]]. Because of his attention to such subject matter, Courbet never quite fit into the other artistic categories of [[Romanticism]] or [[Neoclassicism]]. Courbet felt that these schools of art were not concerned with the pursuit of [[truth]]. He believed that if his paintings could realistically and truthfully capture the social imbalances and contradictions he saw, then it would spur people to action.
  
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Courbet also found influence after a trip to the Netherlands introduced him to the works of [[Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn|Rembrandt]], [[Frans Hals|Hals]], and the other Dutch masters of the time period. He appreciated their honest portrayals of life.
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Speaking about his philosophy Courbet wrote, "The basis of realism is the negation of the [[ideal]], a negation towards which my studies have led me for 15 years and which no artist has dared to affirm categorically until now."<ref>Gerstle Mack, ''Gustave Courbet'' (Da Capo, 1989). ISBN 0306803755</ref>
  
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Courbet often met with simultaneous praise and rejection from art critics. But, by 1849 Courbet was too well known to be able to be denied the showing of his work. He continued to produce art such as ''After Dinner at Ornans'' (for which the Salon awarded him a medal) and ''The Valley of the Loire''.
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He strove to achieve an honest imagery of the lives of simple people, but the monumentality of the concept in conjunction with the rustic subject matter proved to be widely unacceptable. Art critics and the public preferred pretty pictures so the notion of Courbet's "vulgarity" became popular as the [[mass media|press]] began to lampoon his pictures and criticize his penchant for the ''ugly''.
  
 
== Burial at Ornans ==
 
== Burial at Ornans ==
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[[Image:Courbet - Begräbnis in Ornans.jpg|thumb|left|450px|Gustave Courbet. ''Burial at Ornans''. 1849-1850. Oil on canvas. 314 x 663 cm. [[Musee d'Orsay]], Paris.]]
 
  
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The ''Burial at Ornans'' has long been considered Courbet's greatest work. He recorded an event which he witnessed during the fall of 1848, the funeral of his grand uncle. Artists before him who painted real events often used models in recreating the scene. But Courbet, true to his calling as a realist, said that he "painted the very people who had been present at the interment, all the townspeople". This painting became the first realistic presentation of the townspeople and their way of life in Ornans.
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The ''Burial at Ornans'' has long been considered Courbet's greatest work. He recorded an event which he witnessed during the fall of 1848, the funeral of his grand uncle. Artists before him who painted real events often used models in recreating the scene. But Courbet, true to his calling as a realist, said that he "painted the very people who had been present at the interment, all the townspeople." This painting became the first realistic presentation of the townspeople and their way of life in Ornans.
  
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The painting was enormous. It measured 10 by 22 feet (3.1 by 6.6 meters) and portrayed something that was thought prosaic and dull: a simple funeral. But viewers were even more upset because paintings of this size were only ever used to depict royalty or religion. With the birth of this painting, Courbet said, "''The Burial at Ornans was in reality the burial of Romanticism.''"  
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The painting was enormous. It measured 10 by 22 feet (3.1 by 6.6 meters) and portrayed something that was thought prosaic and dull: A simple [[funeral]]. But viewers were even more upset because paintings of this size were only ever used to depict [[royalty]] or [[religion]]. With the birth of this painting, Courbet said, "The Burial at Ornans was in reality the burial of Romanticism."<ref>Ibid.</ref>
  
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[[Image:La_belle_Irlandaise_(Portrait_of_Jo).JPG|thumb|right|200px|''Portrait of Jo (La belle Irlandaise)'', a painting of Joanna Hiffernan, the probable model for ''L'Origine du monde'']]
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== Notoriety ==
  
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The Salon of [[1850]] found him triumphant with the ''Burial at Ornans'', the ''Stone-Breakers'' (destroyed in 1945), and the ''Peasants of Flagey''. Other figurative works, with common folk and friends as his subjects, included ''Village Damsels'' ([[1852]]), the ''Wrestlers'', ''Bathers'', and ''A Girl Spinning'' ([[1852]]).
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In 1870, at the height of his career, he was drawn directly into political activity. After the fall of the [[Second Empire]], Courbet was elected President of the Federation of Artists. a group that promoted the uncensored production and expansion of art. The group's members included [[André Gill]], [[Honoré Daumier]], [[Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot]], [[Eugène Pottier]], [[Jules Dalou]], and [[Édouard Manet]].
  
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Courbet finally found an audience ready to accept the combination of realism and socialism. To add to his paintings, Courbet also penned several politically charged essays and dissertations.
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Courbet stayed in Paris while it was besieged by the Prussian armies, and when many were fleeing the capital. During this time, Courbet refused the [[Cross of the Legion of Honor]], just as Daumier, another Realist artist, had. Despite his refusal of the honor, the new Commune government appointed Courbet Chairman of the Arts Commission, whose sole duty was to protect the works of art in [[Paris]] from the [[Prussia]]n siege.
  
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To a friend in [[1850]] he wrote,
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While serving as Chairman it was decided that the hated [[Vendôme Column]], that represented [[imperialism]] of [[Napoleon Bonaparte]] would be taken down by dismantlement. The Commune was short-lived, however, and in May of 1871, mass [[execution]]s began and all Commune leaders, such as Courbet, were either executed or jailed.
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{{cquote|...in our so very civilized society it is necessary for me to live the life of a savage. I must be free even of governments. The people have my sympathies, I must address myself to them directly.<ref name=artchive>Courbet, Gustave: [http://www.artchive.com/artchive/C/courbet.html artchive.com] citing Perl, Jed: ''Gallery Going: Four Seasons in the Art World'', 1991, Harcourt, ISBN 978-0151342600.</ref>}}
 
  
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In 1855, one of his most important paintings ''[[The Artist's Studio]]'' was displayed. The painting depicts an an allegory of Courbet's life as a painter. He illustrates it as quiet a heroic venture, one in which his friends and admirers surround him. One such friend portrayed in the painting was [[Charles Baudelaire]].
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Courbet managed to escape by keeping a low profile, but on June 7, he was arrested and interrogated, later thrown in the ''[[Conciergerie]],'' where many were imprisoned during the [[French Revolution]].  His trial was in August, and in September he was sentenced to six months in prison. It was also determined by the newly elected president that Courbet was responsible for the reconstruction of the Vendome Column. With a price of over three hundred thousand francs set it was impossible for him to pay. On July 23, 1873, Courbet, through the assistance of a few friends, fled France for [[Switzerland]].  
  
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== Notoriety ==
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''Le Château de Chillon'' (1874), depicting a picturesque [[medieval]] [[castle]] that was a [[symbol]] of isolation and imprisonment was among the last paintings he made before his death.
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Courbet continued to stun his public by the subject matter he chose. He went from funerals to painting that was much more erotic. In the late 1860s, Courbet created a series of paintings he titled  ''[[L'Origine du monde|The Origin of the World (L'Origine du monde)]]''. Here people were shocked to see close up paintings of female [[genitalia]], and ''[[:Image:Courbet Sleep.jpg|The Sleepers]]'' ([[1866]]), depicting two women sharing a bed.
 
  
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[[Image:PereDuchesneIllustre7 1 0 - Gustave Courbet.png|thumb|right|200px|Gustave Courbet taking down a [[Morris column]], [[caricature]] published by the ''[[Le Père Duchesne|Père Duchêne illustré]]'']]
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Courbet stayed in Switzerland for four years where he died as an exile on December 31, 1877.  
  
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On 14 April 1870, Courbet established a "[[Federation of Artists (Courbet)|Federation of Artists]]" (Fédération des artistes) to promote the uncensored production and expansion of art. The group's members included [[André Gill]], [[Honoré Daumier]], [[Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot]], [[Eugène Pottier]], [[Jules Dalou]], and [[Édouard Manet]].
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In the preface to the catalog for the posthumous Courbet exhibition held at the ''[[Ecole des Beaux-Arts]]'' in 1882, [[Jules Castagnary]] said, "If Courbet could only paint what he saw, he saw wonderfully, he saw better than anybody else."<ref>''Musee-orsay.fr,'' [http://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/collections/courbet-dossier/reception-of-courbets-work.html#c19392 Reception of Courbet's Work.] Retrieved December 15, 2007.</ref>
  
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At a time of political upheaval, Courbet refused the cross of the [[Legion d'Honneur|Legion of Honour]] offered to him by [[Napoleon III]]. This served to increase his popularity among those who were against Napoleon. And in 1871, the [[Paris Commune]] gave Courbet charge over all of the Paris art museums. It was Courbet who saved these masterpieces from the looting and frenzied mobs. He took part in more ways than one, Courbet insisted on executing the Cummunal decree that called for the destruction of the  [[Vendôme Column]]. The destruction took place, he was held responsible and was  sentenced on 2 September 1871 by a Versailles court martial to six months in prison and a fine of 500 francs.
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==Legacy==
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Gustave Courbet was influential in many regards. First, he broke the mold of convention with his revolutionary ideas and techniques. This, in turn, lead to the creation of a new art movement, that of [[Realism]]. This important contribution to the world of art opened the path for many to follow.
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The problems with the column did not go away after that. In 1873, the newly elected president [[Mac-Mahon]] wanted to resurrect the Column, and he choose Courbet to pay the expenses. Courbet was forced to take refuge in Switzerland to avoid bankruptcy. On 4 May 1877, the estimate of the costs was finally established: 323,091.68 French francs. Courbet did not get out of the fees, but was allowed to pay the fine in yearly installments of 10,000 francs for the next 33 years, until his 91st birthday. However, the payment was never received.
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During the 1860s, [[Paul Cezanne]] took up Courbet's technique of painting with a palette knife, as well as his dark colors and layers of thick paint. He is often credited with inspiring the [[Impressionism|Impressionist]] painters, in particular [[Edouard Manet]] (the father of Impressionism).<ref>Redflag.org.uk, [http://www.redflag.org.uk/frontline/five/05courbet.html Gustave Courbet and Realism.] Retrieved November 28, 2007.</ref> [[Pierre-Auguste Renoir]] (1841-1919) was also influenced by Courbet in his early career, before taking his own direction, and Courbet's nudes had a lasting influence on him.<ref>''Musee-orsay.fr,'' [http://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/collections/courbet-dossier/biography.html Courbet Biography.] Retrieved December 15, 2007.</ref>
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Gustave Courbet died at age 58, in [[La Tour-de-Peilz]], [[Switzerland]]. The cause of death was liver disease aggravated by heavy drinking. His death occured on 31 December 1877, a day before the payment of the first installment was due. (Bernard Noël, 1978)
 
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An exhibition of his works was held in [[1882]] at the [[École des Beaux-Arts]].
 
  
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==Legacy==
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His hostility to the academic system, state patronage and the notion of aesthetic ideals also made him highly influential in the development of [[modernism]]. Courbet also transformed traditional oil painting with his innovative use of tools, especially palette knives, and also rags, sponges, and even his fingers. These new approaches laid the groundwork for a vital strain of modernist painting.<ref>''Getty.edu,'' the Getty Announces Major Tour of Gustave Courbet's Pivotal Landscapes.</ref>  
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Gustave Courbet was influential in many regards. First, he broke the mold of convention with his revolutionary ideas and techniques. This, in turn, lead to the creation of a new art movement, that of [[Realism]]. These important contributions to the world of art opened the path for many to follow. He is often credited with inspiring the [[Impressionist]] painters, in particular Manet (the father of Impressonism). <ref>[http://www.redflag.org.uk/frontline/five/05courbet.html Gustave Courbet and Realism] ''Redflag.org.uk.'' Retrieved November 28, 2007.</ref>
 
  
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On June 28, 2007, Courbet’s ''Femme Nue'' sold to an anonymous bidder for $2.04 million. It was a new record for one of his paintings.<ref>''Sgallery.net,'' Record for Gustav Bauernfeind Set—GBP3 Million.</ref> In October 2007, Courbet’s ''Le Veau Blanc'' (1873), a painting of a brown-spotted white heifer looking out at the viewer as it stops to drink from a stream, sold to an anonymous buyer for $2,505,000, setting yet another record.<ref>Art Net, [http://www.artnet.com/magazineus/news/artmarketwatch/artmarketwatch10-30-07.asp Muscle at October Auctions.] Retrieved December 14, 2007.</ref>
  
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The paintings of Courbet continue to be visited by thousand of fans. His works hang in galleries throughout France and the United States. The Metropolitan Museum has more than 20 of his works.
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His works hang in galleries throughout the world. The [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] has more than twenty of his works.
  
 
==Gallery==
 
==Gallery==
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Image:Courbet - Bildnis Baudelaires.jpg|''Portrait of [[Baudelaire]]'' (1848).
 
Image:Courbet - Bildnis Baudelaires.jpg|''Portrait of [[Baudelaire]]'' (1848).
 
Image:Gustave Courbet 036.jpg|''Ringkämpfer'' (1853).
 
Image:Gustave Courbet 036.jpg|''Ringkämpfer'' (1853).
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Image:Frauen beim Getreidesieben.jpg|''The Grain Sifters'' (1854).
 
 
Image:Gustave Courbet 027.jpg|''Les Demoiselles des bords de la Seine'' (1856)
 
Image:Gustave Courbet 027.jpg|''Les Demoiselles des bords de la Seine'' (1856)
 
Image:Gustave Courbet 032.jpg|''Pferd im Walde'' (1863).
 
Image:Gustave Courbet 032.jpg|''Pferd im Walde'' (1863).
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==References==
 
==References==
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*[[Linda Nochlin|Nochlin, Linda]], ''Courbet'', (London: Thames & Hudson, [[2007]] ISBN 978-0-500-28676-0)
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*Chu, Petra ten-Doesschate. ''The Most Arrogant Man in France: Gustave Courbet and the Nineteenth Century Media Culture.'' Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2007. ISBN 0691126798
−
* [[Champfleury]], ''Les Grandes Figures  d’hier et d’aujourd’hui'' (Paris, [[1861]])
+
*Clark, T. J. ''Image of the People: Gustave Courbet and the 1848 Revolution''. London: Thames & Hudson, 1999. ISBN 050027245X
−
* Mantz, "G. Courbet," ''Gaz. des beaux-arts'' (Paris, [[1878]])
+
*Courbet, Gustave, Leon Wieseltier, and Sarah Faunce. ''Gustave Courbet''. New York: Salander-O'Reilly, 2003. ISBN 158821124X
−
* [[Émile Zola|Zola, Émile]], ''Mes Haines'' (Paris, [[1879]])
+
*Faunce, Sarah, Gustave Courbet, and Linda Nochlin. ''Courbet Reconsidered.'' Brooklyn: Brooklyn Museum, 1988. ISBN 0300042981
−
* Lemonnier, C, ''Les Peintres de la Vie'' (Paris, [[1888]]).
+
*Fried, Michael. ''Courbet's Realism''. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1990. ISBN 0226262146
−
* Noël, Bernard, ''Dictionnaire de la Commune'' (Paris: Champs Flammarion, 1978)
+
*Nochlin, Linda. ''Courbet''. London: Thames & Hudson, 2007. ISBN 0500286760
−
* [[Linda Nochlin|Nochlin, Linda]], ''Realism: Style and Civilization'' (New York: Penguin, [[1972]]).
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*Nochlin, Linda. ''Realism''. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1971. ISBN 0140213058
 
*{{1911}}
 
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== External links ==
 
== External links ==
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{{wikiquote}}
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All links retrieved July 21, 2017.
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;General
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* [http://cgfa.sunsite.dk/courbet/index.html Courbet images and biography at CGFA]
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* [http://www.rehs.com/Gustave_Courbet_Bio.html Gustave Courbet] ''Rehs.com.''
−
* [http://artchive.com/ftp_site.htm Artchive on Courbet]
+
* [http://www.artrenewal.org/pages/artist.php?artistid=746 Gustave Courbet] ''Artrenewal.org.''
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* [http://www.humanitiesweb.org/human.php?s=g&p=c&a=b&ID=12 Humanities Web on Courbet]
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* [http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/courbet_gustave.html Gustave Courbet] ''Artcyclopedia.com.''
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* [http://www.artrenewal.org/asp/database/art.asp?aid=746 Art Renewal Center; biography and images] <!--The previous incarnation of this article was lifted from here—>
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* [http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/courbet/ Gustave Courbet] ''Ibiblio.org.''  
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;Articles and essays
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* [http://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/collections/courbet-dossier/reception-of-courbets-work.html Reception of Courbet's Work] ''Musee-orsay.fr.''
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* [http://www.tls.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,25335-2648370,00.html "The history of 'The Origin of the World'"]: an article in the [http://www.the-tls.co.uk TLS] by Mark Hutchinson, August 8th 2007
+
* Kimmelman, Michael. 1988. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE7DE163BF93AA15751C1A96E948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all Critic's Notebook; Ever-Provocative Courbet Examined Anew] ''Query.nytimes.com.''
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* [http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/picture-of-month/displaypicture.asp?venue=2&id=150 Courbet’s ''Low Tide at Trouville''] in the [http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/walker/index.asp Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool]
+
* [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21269272/ Courbet’s ‘Nude Woman Reclining’ recovered] ''Msnbc.msn.com.''  
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* [http://www.anthonychristian.co.uk/ezine11.html E-zine article on Gustave Courbet]
 
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* [http://greatcaricatures.com/articles_galleries/gill/galleries/html/1867_0609_courbet.html 1867 Caricature of Gustave Courbet] by André Gill
 
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* [http://smarthistory.org/blog/49/courbet-young-women-from-the-village-1852-metropolitan-museum-of-art/ smARThistory: ''Young Women from the Village'']
 
  
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Latest revision as of 01:44, 27 July 2023

Gustave Courbet
Gustave Courbet.jpg
Gustave Courbet (portrait by Nadar).
Birth name Jean Désiré Gustave Courbet
Born 06-10-1819
Ornans, France
Died 1877-12-31
La Tour-de-Peilz, Switzerland
Nationality French
Field Painting, Sculpting
Training Antoine-Jean Gros
Movement Realism
Famous works Burial at Ornans (1849-1850)
L'Origine du monde (1866)

Jean Désiré Gustave Courbet (June 10, 1819 – December 31, 1877) was a French painter whose portrayals of peasants and scenes of everyday life established him as the leading figure of the realist movement of the mid-nineteenth century.

Following the Revolution of 1848, his representation of contemporary social reality, his land and seascapes, and his female nudes were free of conventional idealism and embodied his rejection of the academic tradition. At the age of 28, he produced two paintings that are acclaimed as his best work: The Stone-Breakers and Burial at Ornans. With these paintings, Courbet secured a reputation as a radical whose departures from the prevailing tastes of Neoclassicism and Romanticism were offensive to contemporary art lovers.

Courbet was considered one of the most radical of all nineteenth-century painters and one of the fathers of modern art. He used his realistic paintings of peasants to promote his socialist view of the world. His political beliefs were influenced greatly by the life and the anarchist teachings of Pierre-Joseph Proudhon.

Early life

Gustave Courbet was born in the city of Ornans, on June 10, 1819. He grew up under the influence of his temperamental father, a prominent landowner. In 1831, Courbet began attending the Seminary in Ornans, where his own temperamental personality led to rebellious responses to religion and the clergy. When Courbet turned 18, he left home to pursue an education at the Collège Royal at Besançon.

At the Collège Royal traditional classical subjects were an anathema to Courbet and he encouraged students to revolt against tradition.

While studying at the college, Courbet made friends with the aspiring writer, Max Buchon. When Buchon's Essais Poétiques (1839) were being published, he commissioned Courbet to illustrate it. Courbet obliged by creating four beautiful lithographs for the work. Also during his studies, he enrolled as an externe, thus he could not only attend classes at the college, but he was also able to take classes from Charles Flajoulot at the école des Beaux-Arts.

Courbet left the college and moved to Paris in 1840. Here, he decided to begin an intense study of law, however he quickly changed his mind and realized that his true life's calling was painting. He spent hours upon hours copying various paintings in the Louvre. His first major breakthrough happened in 1844, with his painting, Self-Portrait with Black Dog. His painting was selected for a showing at the Salon.

Career

Between 1844 and 1847, Courbet traveled several times between Ornans and Paris and also Belgium and Holland. After coming into contact with J. van Wisselingh, a young art dealer in Amsterdam, who visited Paris and bought two of Courbet’s works and commissioned a self-portrait, Courbet's work was introduced to an appreciative audience outside of France. Van Wisselingh showed Courbet’s work to a rich collector in The Hague by the name of Hendrik Willem Mesdag, who purchased seven works. Mesdag was also the leader of The Hague School which was the most important artistic movement in Holland during the nineteenth century. Courbet’s work comprised an important part of what became the Mesdag Museum, currently in The Hague.[1]

Portrait of Countess Karoly (1865)

In 1845, Courbet upped his submissions to the Salon with five paintings, however, only Le Guitarrero was selected. A year later all of his paintings were rejected. But in 1848, the Liberal Jury eased his anger, recognized his talent, and took all 10 of his entries. The harsh critic Champfleury apologized profusely to Courbet, praised his paintings, and began a friendship.

Courbet achieved artistic maturity with After Dinner at Ornans, which was shown at the Salon of 1849. His nine entries in the Salon of 1850 included the Portrait of Berlioz, the Man with the Pipe, the Return from the Fair, the Stone Breakers, and, largest of all, the Burial at Ornans, which contains over 40 life-size figures whose rugged features and static poses are reinforced by the somber landscape.

Plage de Normandie. (c. 1872/1875). Washington D.C.: National Gallery of Art.

In 1851, the Second Empire was officially proclaimed, and during the next 20 years Courbet remained an uncompromising opponent of Emperor Napoleon III. At the Salon of 1853, where the painter exhibited three works, the Emperor pronounced one of them, The Bathers, obscene; nevertheless, it was purchased by a Montpellier innkeeper, Alfred Bruyas, who became the artist's patron and host. While visiting Bruyas in 1854, Courbet painted his first seascapes.

Of the 14 paintings Courbet submitted to the Paris World Exhibition of 1855, three major ones were rejected. In retaliation, he showed 40 of his pictures at a private pavilion he erected opposite the official one. That Courbet was ready and willing to stage an independent exhibition marks a turning point in the methods of artistic marketing, as single artist retrospective exhibitions were virtually unheard of. His method of self-promotion would later encourage other influential but reviled artists such as James McNeill Whistler.[2]

One of the rejected works from 1855 was the enormous painting The Studio, the full title of which was Real Allegory, Representing a Phase of Seven Years of My Life as a Painter. The work is filled with symbolism. At the center, between the two worlds expressed by the inhabitants of the left and right sides of the picture, is Courbet painting a landscape while a nude looks over his shoulder and a child admires his work. Champfleury found the notion of a "real allegory" ridiculous and concluded that Courbet had lost the conviction and simplicity of the earlier works.

Portrait of Jo (La belle Irlandaise), a painting of Joanna Hiffernan, the probable model for L'Origine du monde

Even though Courbet began to lose favor with some in his realist circle, his popular reputation, particularly outside France, was growing. He visited Frankfurt in 1858-1859, where he took part in elaborate hunting parties and painted a number of scenes based on direct observation. His Stag Drinking was exhibited in Besançon, where he won a medal, and in 1861 his work, as well as a lecture on his artistic principles, met with great success in Antwerp. In 1860 he submitted to the Salon La Roche Oraguay (Oraguay Rock) and four hunting scenes. Courbet received a second class medal, his third medal overall from the Salon jury.

Courbet's art of the mid-1860s no longer conveyed the democratic principles embodied in earlier works. He turned his attention increasingly to landscapes, portraits, and erotic nudes based, in part, on mythological themes. These include Venus and Psyche (1864; and a variant entitled The Awakening), Sleeping Women, The Origin of the World (1866), and Woman with a Parrot (1866).

In 1865, his series depicting storms at sea astounded the art world and opened the way for Impressionism.

Realism

Gustave Courbet is often given credit for coining the term realism. He was innovative in the movements creation, his art fed its rapid growth, and several other artists were soon dubbing themselves "realists."

His art traversed the topics of peasant life, poor working conditions, and abject poverty. Because of his attention to such subject matter, Courbet never quite fit into the other artistic categories of Romanticism or Neoclassicism. Courbet felt that these schools of art were not concerned with the pursuit of truth. He believed that if his paintings could realistically and truthfully capture the social imbalances and contradictions he saw, then it would spur people to action.

Speaking about his philosophy Courbet wrote, "The basis of realism is the negation of the ideal, a negation towards which my studies have led me for 15 years and which no artist has dared to affirm categorically until now."[3]

He strove to achieve an honest imagery of the lives of simple people, but the monumentality of the concept in conjunction with the rustic subject matter proved to be widely unacceptable. Art critics and the public preferred pretty pictures so the notion of Courbet's "vulgarity" became popular as the press began to lampoon his pictures and criticize his penchant for the ugly.

Burial at Ornans

The Burial at Ornans has long been considered Courbet's greatest work. He recorded an event which he witnessed during the fall of 1848, the funeral of his grand uncle. Artists before him who painted real events often used models in recreating the scene. But Courbet, true to his calling as a realist, said that he "painted the very people who had been present at the interment, all the townspeople." This painting became the first realistic presentation of the townspeople and their way of life in Ornans.

The painting was enormous. It measured 10 by 22 feet (3.1 by 6.6 meters) and portrayed something that was thought prosaic and dull: A simple funeral. But viewers were even more upset because paintings of this size were only ever used to depict royalty or religion. With the birth of this painting, Courbet said, "The Burial at Ornans was in reality the burial of Romanticism."[4]

Notoriety

In 1870, at the height of his career, he was drawn directly into political activity. After the fall of the Second Empire, Courbet was elected President of the Federation of Artists. a group that promoted the uncensored production and expansion of art. The group's members included André Gill, Honoré Daumier, Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot, Eugène Pottier, Jules Dalou, and Édouard Manet.

Courbet stayed in Paris while it was besieged by the Prussian armies, and when many were fleeing the capital. During this time, Courbet refused the Cross of the Legion of Honor, just as Daumier, another Realist artist, had. Despite his refusal of the honor, the new Commune government appointed Courbet Chairman of the Arts Commission, whose sole duty was to protect the works of art in Paris from the Prussian siege.

While serving as Chairman it was decided that the hated Vendôme Column, that represented imperialism of Napoleon Bonaparte would be taken down by dismantlement. The Commune was short-lived, however, and in May of 1871, mass executions began and all Commune leaders, such as Courbet, were either executed or jailed.

Courbet managed to escape by keeping a low profile, but on June 7, he was arrested and interrogated, later thrown in the Conciergerie, where many were imprisoned during the French Revolution. His trial was in August, and in September he was sentenced to six months in prison. It was also determined by the newly elected president that Courbet was responsible for the reconstruction of the Vendome Column. With a price of over three hundred thousand francs set it was impossible for him to pay. On July 23, 1873, Courbet, through the assistance of a few friends, fled France for Switzerland.

Le Château de Chillon (1874), depicting a picturesque medieval castle that was a symbol of isolation and imprisonment was among the last paintings he made before his death.

Courbet stayed in Switzerland for four years where he died as an exile on December 31, 1877.

In the preface to the catalog for the posthumous Courbet exhibition held at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in 1882, Jules Castagnary said, "If Courbet could only paint what he saw, he saw wonderfully, he saw better than anybody else."[5]

Legacy

Gustave Courbet was influential in many regards. First, he broke the mold of convention with his revolutionary ideas and techniques. This, in turn, lead to the creation of a new art movement, that of Realism. This important contribution to the world of art opened the path for many to follow. During the 1860s, Paul Cezanne took up Courbet's technique of painting with a palette knife, as well as his dark colors and layers of thick paint. He is often credited with inspiring the Impressionist painters, in particular Edouard Manet (the father of Impressionism).[6] Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) was also influenced by Courbet in his early career, before taking his own direction, and Courbet's nudes had a lasting influence on him.[7]

His hostility to the academic system, state patronage and the notion of aesthetic ideals also made him highly influential in the development of modernism. Courbet also transformed traditional oil painting with his innovative use of tools, especially palette knives, and also rags, sponges, and even his fingers. These new approaches laid the groundwork for a vital strain of modernist painting.[8]

On June 28, 2007, Courbet’s Femme Nue sold to an anonymous bidder for $2.04 million. It was a new record for one of his paintings.[9] In October 2007, Courbet’s Le Veau Blanc (1873), a painting of a brown-spotted white heifer looking out at the viewer as it stops to drink from a stream, sold to an anonymous buyer for $2,505,000, setting yet another record.[10]

His works hang in galleries throughout the world. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has more than twenty of his works.

Gallery

  • Poor Woman of the Village.

  • Die Berghütte.

  • The Hammock. (1844).

  • Self portrait at about age 30.

  • Self portrait with black dog. (1842).

  • Bauern von Flagey bei der Rückkehr vom Markt (1850)

  • Portrait of Baudelaire (1848).

  • Ringkämpfer (1853).

  • Les Demoiselles des bords de la Seine (1856)

  • Pferd im Walde (1863).

  • Rehbock im Wald (1867).

  • Meeresküste in der Normandie (1867).

  • Die Wellen (1869).

  • The Cliffs of Étretat After the Storm.

  • Äpfel und Granatäpfel (1871).

Notes

  1. ↑ Rehs.com, Gustave Courbet. Retrieved December 15, 2007.
  2. ↑ Rehs.com, Gustave Courbet. Retrieved December 15, 2007.
  3. ↑ Gerstle Mack, Gustave Courbet (Da Capo, 1989). ISBN 0306803755
  4. ↑ Ibid.
  5. ↑ Musee-orsay.fr, Reception of Courbet's Work. Retrieved December 15, 2007.
  6. ↑ Redflag.org.uk, Gustave Courbet and Realism. Retrieved November 28, 2007.
  7. ↑ Musee-orsay.fr, Courbet Biography. Retrieved December 15, 2007.
  8. ↑ Getty.edu, the Getty Announces Major Tour of Gustave Courbet's Pivotal Landscapes.
  9. ↑ Sgallery.net, Record for Gustav Bauernfeind Set—GBP3 Million.
  10. ↑ Art Net, Muscle at October Auctions. Retrieved December 14, 2007.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Chu, Petra ten-Doesschate. The Most Arrogant Man in France: Gustave Courbet and the Nineteenth Century Media Culture. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2007. ISBN 0691126798
  • Clark, T. J. Image of the People: Gustave Courbet and the 1848 Revolution. London: Thames & Hudson, 1999. ISBN 050027245X
  • Courbet, Gustave, Leon Wieseltier, and Sarah Faunce. Gustave Courbet. New York: Salander-O'Reilly, 2003. ISBN 158821124X
  • Faunce, Sarah, Gustave Courbet, and Linda Nochlin. Courbet Reconsidered. Brooklyn: Brooklyn Museum, 1988. ISBN 0300042981
  • Fried, Michael. Courbet's Realism. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1990. ISBN 0226262146
  • Nochlin, Linda. Courbet. London: Thames & Hudson, 2007. ISBN 0500286760
  • Nochlin, Linda. Realism. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1971. ISBN 0140213058
  • This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

External links

All links retrieved July 21, 2017.

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