Gustave Courbet

Born in 1819 in Ornans, France, to an anti-monarchical family. His native province and family remained lifelong sources of inspiration for his art.¹

Arrived in Paris in 1839 but rejected academic training, preferring to develop his style by studying and copying Spanish and Flemish masters in the Louvre.¹

Initially influenced by Romanticism, he abandoned literary themes by the mid-1840s to focus on observed reality, becoming a leader of the Realism movement.¹

Trips to the Netherlands in 1846–47 strengthened his belief in portraying everyday life, inspired by Dutch masters like Rembrandt and Hals.¹

In 'The Stone Breakers', he depicted unidealized poor workers on a grand scale, challenging conventions and causing a sensation at the 1850 Salon.¹

Won a gold medal at the 1849 Salon, which exempted him from jury approval until 1857, allowing him greater freedom for his radical artistic statements.¹

In 'A Burial at Ornans', he used a massive scale traditionally reserved for royalty to depict a common funeral, upsetting academic hierarchies of subject matter.¹

Imprisoned for six months in 1871 for his involvement with the Paris Commune, he later lived in exile in Switzerland from 1873 until his death.¹