Amazing Artwork by Gustave Courbet

French artist Gustave Courbet became the leading Realism artist of the 19th century.

After Dinner at Ormans is a painting created by the artist that depicts a common scene in his hometown. This painting shows men eating and drinking. One of the first major paintings by French artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Mother Anthony’s Tavern paid homage to this artwork in 1866.

The Bathers is an oil-on-canvas that depicts a large nude woman at the center and an unknown landscape in the background. Another woman sits on the ground on the right side. This artwork was purchased for 3000 francs by the artist’s future friend Alfred Bruyas, an art collector.

A Burial at Ornans is among the artworks that got Courbet noticed in Paris. The painting reflects an actual event the artist attended. It was the burial of a great uncle in the small town of Ornanas. The artist grew up in this town and knew the people at the burial and realistically depicted them.

The Calm Sea is one of the many seascapes painted by Courbet. This artwork depicts a beach on the Normandy Coast before the English Channel. The painting is notable because it features a sky full of clouds, which seems to dwarf the boats on the sea.

The Desperate Man is a self-portrait of Courbet and an early artwork from when the artist experimented with Romantic subjects. He changed his style when he saw the paintings of Diego, Velazquez, and Rembrandt at the Louvre.

The Meeting is a painting the artist created when he encountered one of his major patrons, Alfred Bruyas, his servant, and his dog. The group was on the way to Montpelier. This artwork is one of the eleven paintings that made it to the 1855 Exhibition.

The Painter’s Studio is an artwork that the artist created that includes a large number of figures since he mentioned that “The world comes to be painted at my studio.” The artist is seated in the center while painting a landscape, and a nude female model stands right behind him.

Some of the most notable people who have been identified in the painting are

• Pierre-Joseph Proudhon—A French socialist and philosopher.

• Charles Baudelaire—A French poet and art critic.

• Champfleury—An art critic and novelist who was a fervent supporter of the Realist art movement.

• Alfred Bruyas—A patron of the arts and Courbet’s most important patron.

Sleep is an artwork that stands out as intimacy in art. The painting depicts two nude women asleep in an embrace. (pictured above) The artwork’s open representation of the female body was both provocative and refreshing, challenging traditional depictions in art. Courbet elevated everyday scenes to a level of artistic significance usually reserved for grand historical themes.

Woman with Parrot is among the many nude paintings the artist created. In 1866 the painting was accepted by the Paris Salon. It is an unusual painting with the woman nude and a parrot on her hand.

The Wave is a seascape with the sea as the only subject of this painting, along with a rolling wave. The realism here makes it seem that the wave is in movement.

The Woman in the Waves is a realistic artwork depicting a nude woman in the water. The picture is notable for its realistic flesh tones and trace of underarm hair.

Young Ladies on the Banks of the Seine is one of the six paintings accepted by the Paris Salon in 1857. It depicts two women by the river, with one asleep and one gazing at the river.