Courbet was a pioneering figure in the history
of modernism. He was a French painter who led the Realist movement in the 19th
century French paintings. He created a sensation at the Paris Salon when he
exhibited a group of paintings set in his native Ornans. His paintings conveyed
the blunt reality in realistic detailed of the daily life of ordinary people
which previously were reserved for history paintings. His artworks were criticized
as ugly, unsettling and took issue with the blurring of class boundaries in his
paintings.
Landscapes played a central role in Courbet’s
imagery. He identified himself with the topography of his native Ornans since
the beginning of his career. Although he did not immerse himself fully in
paintings of seascapes until he went on various trips to the Normandy coast.
Thus in 1870 he exhibited only seascapes at the Salon to show off his assertion
of his command of the genre.
He called himself a “Republican by birth” but
did not take up arms during the 1848 Revolution. He numerously flouted the
authority of the state and declared his independence from any form of government. Courbet’s involvement with politics was
complex. He played an active role in the political and artistic life of the
short-lived socialist government. Hence
he was arrested and sentenced to 6 months for his involvement in the destruction
of the Vendome Column. Fearing persecution by the newly installed government,
he went into exile.
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