Courbet

Taschen Basic Art

by Fabrice Masanès

Unsentimental realism "I maintain," stated Gustave Courbet (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. About the
Each book in TASCHEN’s Basic Art series

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

96 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2006

Reviews

[ISRA · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the more tedious artist books I’ve read from the Taschen series. Not all his self portraits are included. The pacing is uneven, the front of the book is much denser and it trickles off at the end with vaguer detail about his incarnation. Some of the vagueness can’t be helped but it’s irksome as the reader. They also neglect to give much focus to his love life or provide much detail to relationships with contemporary painters.

[Γιώργος Μπελαούρης · Rating 5 out of 5]

my first taschen
to his day i turn the pages in awe
what an artist and what a man