Courbet

Courbet

<div class="margin-bottom" id="description_text_headlines"> <div> <strong>Unsentimental realism</strong></div> <div>  </div> </div> <div class="description_text"> <div class="margin-bottom" id="description_text"> "I maintain," stated <strong>Gustave Courbet</strong> (1819-1877), "that painting is clearly a concrete art whose existence lies only in the representation of real and existing objects...." Courbet, who influenced and advised the fledgling Impressionists, was an outstanding representative of a naturalistic realism that highlights the contradictions and inequities in society. Revolutionary were Courbet`s style, with dark hues and heavy brushstrokes, and choice of subject—depictions the life of plain people treated in an unsentimental, down to earth manner. His influence was enormous during his lifetime; he was offered the cross of the Legion of Honor in 1872 but he refused it. A man always at odds with authority, be it artistic or political, Courbet became a member of the Paris Commune and was briefly imprisoned and forced to flee to Switzerland for the final years of his life.</div> <div class="margin-bottom">  </div> <div class="margin-bottom" id="series_text" style="display: block;"> <strong>About the Series:</strong><br /> Each book in TASCHEN’s Basic Art series features:<ul> <li>a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importance</li> <li>a concise biography</li> <li>approximately 100 illustrations with explanatory captions</li> </ul> </div> </div>