Courbet Image Comparison

Gustave Courbet was the father of Realism in 19th century painting, the movement that held the first seeds of modernism. He challenged the classically influenced styles and subject matter that had been central to art since the Renaissance. While Paris's Louvre museum was dominated by paintings in the grand, idealising manner, Courbet forcefully asserted a personal vision based on observations of everyday life. His work was modern and aesthetically innovative, and it challenged viewers with political, social, and religious ideas.