Gustave Courbet

Self-proclaimed as the “proudest and most arrogant man in France,” Gustave Courbet left quite a mark on the art world, becoming central to the emergence of Realism in the mid-nineteenth century. Courbet rejected traditional and classical styles of the French Academy, and rather insisted on painting the physical reality of the subjects and objects he observed- specifically the social and political imbalances he witnessed in French society. He believed the goal of the Realist painter was the pursuit of the truth, which would help to blur class boundaries and social contradictions. Courbet’s career - although scandalous and controversial - left a powerful legacy for other artists and made him a pioneering figure in the history of modernism.