Realism: courbet (case study)

1.

REALISM: COURBET
(CASE STUDY)
DR. FLÓRA MÉSZÁROS

2.

COURBET: THE PAINTER’S STUDIO

3.

WHAT DO YOU SEE ON THE PAINTING?

4.

HISTORY
• It was represented in 1855
• Realis allegory

5.

THE IMAGE OF VARIOUS AGES
Courbet also mentioned it represents his 7 working
years
Childhood: represented by two young boys
In the right corner/background: happy, young couple
in love; in the foreground (right): interested married
couple (But still a question how a strict social attitude
is formed by the unconventional love?)
On the left side: various ages, from young age to the
middle aged man, to the old man…in the end : grave
end and a skull (double meaning)
The meeting of life and death: grave and birth beside
that: start and the end of the life in the left side

6.

IMAGE OF THE SOCIETY
As Courbet wrote in one of his letter, he wanted to paint the different representatives
of the social strata, including the lower, the middle and the higher class of the society
Right side: friends, citizens, art lovers
Left side of the image: common worlds, popular, the poor, and those who exploit this
world, like prostitutes, merchants, even priests
Some people are living free, meanwhile others are depended from the social bounds,
some people are living the center of the society, some are in the edge of the society
Artists like Baudelaire who is reading the book, men like Proudhon, symbols of each
disciplines
The artists are the only ones who have only real property in the painting
Most of them are cold and detached (expect. The lovers, artists and children )
the painter is in the focus and also he is separated from the other figures, he is the only
active person

7.

THE PAINTER (THE DETAIL OF THE PAINTER’S
STUDIO)
• The landscape on the inner painting seems the
most realistic
• The painter does not have the typical painter
gestures, it looks like the gesturs of a prophet,
somehow it is a prophetical gesture, the belief of
modern man is realistic vision on nature
• The woman (looks like a model, but does not
mean its a model), the child and the dog have the
naivity and also the moment of discovery and
wonder-they do not have a theoretical pressure
• Woman is the model?
• Woman is the perfect woman?

8.

SOCIAL REPRESENTATION IN NEW FORMS
• Not the traditional social
representation. There is no direct
geometrical composotion and
conscious balance, like on
Ingres’Homer’s Apoteosis
• Side by side composition: to reveal a
multiple content
• It looks like a stage-setting
• Direct doubtful dimensionality,
variable dimensional effect

9.

COURBET AND THIS WORK’S RECEPTION
• He wanted to share the current art
• Realism is his goal
• Somehow a reflection on great
baroque masters like Rembrandt
• Meanwhile new and dominant
artform

10.

OTHER PREVIOUS EXAMPLES-SOCIAL
SCANDAL
A BURIAL AT ORNANS, 1850
• It was problematic for people that it does not follow
the academic rules, and it was not a pathetic subject
THE MEETING (GOOD
MORNING, MR. COURBET!)
• Alfred Bruyas’ anger, possible narcism?