They wanted an epic Biblical image, or one from a Greek myth. He gave them a painting of a modern-day funeral.
Courbet
Like a hipster on social media, Courbet uses this self-portrait to vaunt his progressive politics.
Gustave Courbet, Bonjour Monsieur Courbet
Rejected from a national exhibition, Courbet simply launched his own show to display this enormous work.
Gustave Courbet, The Painter’s Studio: A Real ...
Courbet chooses the real over the ideal in this harsh look at the labor that built the modern world.