Gustave Courbet

Gustave Courbet played a pivotal role in the rise of Realism during the mid-19th century. Departing from the conventional styles of the French Academy, his art emphasized the tangible reality of his subjects, even when it was unadorned and imperfect. Courbet gained renown for his response to the political tumult in France during his lifetime, eventually facing exile in Switzerland after being held responsible for the expenses of rebuilding Paris' Vendome Column. 

Biography of Gustave Courbet

Born in Ornans in 1819, Gustave Courbet grew up in a scenic setting near the French Alps, surrounded by a supportive family. He enjoyed outdoor activities such as swimming in the Loue River and playing in the family's fields and vineyards with his sisters. At school, Courbet thrived on being the center of attention, entertaining his classmates with his humor and charm.

While Courbet's general education was satisfactory, Courbet's formal art training was unremarkable. He began lessons with a minor Neoclassical painter at the age of fourteen. Encouraged by his father, he pursued pre-law at a local college but found little joy until a drawing professor introduced him to painting lessons in a home studio. This experience bolstered his confidence in his artistic abilities and spurred him to follow his passion.

At 21, Courbet relocated to Paris, eschewing study under the era's renowned academic figures or enrollment at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts. Instead, he received instruction from lesser-known teachers and primarily taught himself by replicating works by artists such as Caravaggio, Rubens, Rembrandt, and Velazquez during visits to the Louvre and Holland. While Academy students waited for up to a year before painting, Courbet created his own intensive schedule and delved into painting immediately. He frequently reproduced classical paintings to unveil their secrets and supplemented his independent study by painting from nature and hiring models. During visits home to Ornans, he depicted friends and family in his artwork.

Courbet fervently embraced his personal vision of Realism, which rejected classical conventions and rhetoric. Despite the radical nature of his approach, he still aspired to be recognized at the official French Salons. However, during his first seven years in Paris, only three out of his 25 submissions were accepted.

Courbet remained steadfast in his Realist approach while in Paris, exemplified by his refusal to paint angels for a church, asserting, "Show me an angel and I will paint one." Instead, he portrayed ordinary individuals in all their everyday glory. In 1848, Courbet's expanding circle of influential acquaintances appointed him as the leader of the Realist movement in Paris.

In the same year, with the establishment of a new Republic, the Paris Salon operated without a jury for one year. Courbet seized this opportunity, submitting ten paintings that were automatically accepted and made a significant impact, earning him a gold medal the following year. This medal granted him immunity against future selection committees under Academy rules, a privilege he retained until 1857 when the rule changed. 

Following the unveiling of "Burial at Ornans," France reverted to an authoritarian Empire under Napoleon III, a regime Courbet staunchly opposed. Over time, the Emperor also expressed disapproval of Courbet's nude artworks. In 1853, Napoleon III and his wife Eugenie famously demonstrated their disdain: while admiring Rosa Bonheur's painting "The Horse Fair," featuring massive workhorses from a rearview, Eugenie praised it. Shortly after, in front of Courbet's "The Bathers" (1853), depicting two robust farm women bathing in a stream, she remarked on the models' resemblance to Bonheur's bulky horses. Allegedly, the Emperor then struck the nude canvas with his riding crop.

Two years later, when three of Courbet's submissions to the Paris 1855 World Exposition were rejected by the jury, the artist devised a bold and unconventional business strategy, equally shocking and innovative as his paintings. Defiantly, he erected his own pavilion outside the exhibition grounds, boldly labeled "Realism," and showcased forty paintings spanning his fifteen-year career.

Throughout the 1860s, Courbet dedicated his attention to various subjects including erotic nudes, hunting scenes, landscapes, and seascapes. In these works, he continued to challenge Academic Classicism, promoting his innovative vision and serving as an inspiration to other modernists. His late series of seascapes, in particular, paved the way for the Impressionists, portraying water in a raw and palpable manner where thickly applied paint on the canvas conveys the essence of water itself.

Throughout most of his career, Courbet faced disapproval from the French Academy and other state institutions. However, in 1870, he was unexpectedly awarded the Legion d'Honneur, France's highest order of merit, which he promptly declined. In his characteristically rebellious manner, Courbet penned an open letter asserting that true honor lies not in titles or ribbons, but in one's actions and the underlying motivations. He emphasized the importance of self-respect and adherence to one's principles.

Courbet never married, often citing his dedication to art as a reason for his single status. In 1872, he proposed to a young woman. However, she declined, and Courbet remained a lifelong bachelor.

Following the collapse of the French Empire in the Franco-Prussian War, Courbet assumed the role of chairman of the Republican Arts Commission during the brief Paris Commune. During his tenure, the Place Vendôme Column, forged from the bronze of captured cannons by Napoleon I, was toppled. While Courbet's exact involvement in its destruction remains uncertain, it's possible he intended only to relocate it. However, this event marked his downfall. As the Commune swiftly dissolved, Courbet was imprisoned for six months in 1871, spending the latter part of his sentence in a clinic due to illness.

The artist's troubles compounded in 1873 when he was personally ordered to pay 300,000 francs for the reconstruction of the Vendôme Column. Faced with an insurmountable debt, he chose self-imposed exile in Switzerland. Though he continued to paint, he never returned to France. Courbet's life ended tragically in 1877 at the age of 58, succumbing to heavy drinking and liver disease in La Tour-de-Pails, Switzerland. His remains now rest in the Cemetery of Ornans.