Gustave Courbet

1. Gustave Courbet French Painter and Realist 1819-1877 Presentation by James Jackson

2. Background • Born in Ornans, France on June 10, 1819 into a prosperous agricultural family • Studied at Royal College in Besançon, France • Pursued a career in art after being sent to study law in Paris in 1840 by his father • Abandoned his luxurious lifestyle in favor of one more suitable for creating paintings • In general, most paintings of his were of landscapes and everyday life, but were all filled with a deeper meaning, usually pertaining to social or political ideas

3. Style • During the early 1840s, at the beginning of his career as an artist, Courbet mainly painted in a Romantic style, often depicting sleeping women and many self portraits • Influenced by the Revolution of 1848, Courbet began to produce canvases portraying a disgust for the upper classes and, in turn, a sympathy for the lower class • Throughout the 50s and 60s Courbet’s paintings began to portray radical political beliefs, giving him a typical Bohemian feel to his works • Many believe Courbet’s paintings belong to neither to romanticism, nor to the neoclassical styles of his time, but to their own genre, in pursuit of truth and equality among people, which came to be known as Realism

4. Effect Courbet, by the end of his career, had become a well renowned artist. By giving everyday scenes a his own feel and filling them with thought and passion, he helped develop what some would say an entirely new form of art. Courbet influenced many artist after his time, including Edward Hopper, and has generally become known as the leader of the French Realist Movement.

5. Websites Used During Research http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/Art/Courbet/Courbet.shtml http://www.gustavecourbet.org/ http://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/rschwart/hist255-s01/boheme/courbet.htm