Gustave Courbet – Artwork & Bio of the French Painter

Gustave Corbet was a French painter born on 10 June 1819 in Omans, France. Despite having no formal artistic education, Corbet established himself as one of the best artists of his time. After moving to Paris in 1840, he developed himself by copying the works of old masters and painting Plein air instead of enrolling at a formal art institution.

Courbet painted strictly in a realist manner, refusing to entertain any form of imagined subjects. He exhibited regularly at the Paris Salon and won a gold medal in 1849. In his later years, Courbet painted portraits, landscapes, and seascapes that later influenced artists of the Impressionism movement. He died of liver disease on 31 December 1877 in Switzerland.

What was Gustave Corbet Known For?

Gustave Corbet was known for his revolutionary paintings of landscapes, figures, and seascapes with a strict realist technique. Courbet was rebellious and incorporated it into his artistic career, refusing to waver from his style. His subjects include live models, natural genre scenes, landscapes, and seascapes.

Who was Gustave Courbet Infleunced By?

Gustave Courbet was influenced by the works of Caravaggio, Paul Rubens, Diego Velazquez, and Rembrandt Rijn, which he copied and recreated to develop his style. Asides from the few painting lessons he received from art instructors, Courbet’s learned to paint through disciplined, rigorous practice and replication.

What Art Movement was Gustave Courbet Associated With?

Gustave Courbet was associated with the Realism art movement. During an era when classical art was the order of the day, Courbet stuck to painting with realist techniques and often rejected any commission that demanded otherwise. Courbet’s determination and rigidity impacted emerging art movements.

Gustave Courbet Artworks

Despite being rejected by art salons for many of his submissions, collectors and dealers in the art world covet Courbet’s works. Below are some of them

After Dinner at Ornans

Bather Sleeping by a Brook

Crumbling Rocks

Going Fishing

The Bathers

The Dead Doe

The Oak of Flagey

The Painter’s Studio

The Seaside at Palavas

The Sleeping Spinner

The Village Maidens

The Wheat Sifters

The Woman in the Waves

The Wounded Man

Valley of Ornans

Woman with a Parrot

Young Ladies on the Banks of the Seine (Summer)

All Gustave Courbet Artwork on Artchive