Courbet was iconic even in his own lifetime. He flew in the face of artistic convention, turned down awards, and ushered in a new movement of Realism in France. He also became embroiled in the country’s political turmoil.  

Research:

• Courbet, Gustave “Madame Auguste Cuoq (Mathilde Desportes, 1827–1910)” The Met. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/436016
• Courbet, Gustave. “Woman in a Riding Habit (L'Amazone).” 1856. The Met. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/436024
• Bénédite, Léonce. “Gustave Courbet: With a Biographical and Critical Study.” W. Heinemann. 1912.
• Fernier, Robert J.. "Gustave Courbet". Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Jun. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Gustave-Courbet
• Berman, Avis. “Larger Than Life.” Smithsonian Magazine. April 2008. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/larger-than-life-31654689/
• Nochlin, Linda. “Gustave Courbet's Meeting: A Portrait of the Artist as a Wandering Jew.” Art Bulletin. Vol. 49. No. 3. https://www.collegeart.org/pdf/artbulletin/Art%20Bulletin%20Vol%2049%20No%203%20Nochlin.pdf
• Macnearny, Allison. “This Artistic Masterpiece Was Destroyed When The Allies Bombed Dresden.” The Daily Beast. April 7, 2019. https://www.thedailybeast.com/gustave-courbets-the-stonebreakers-the-masterpiece-destroyed-when-the-allies-bombed-dresden
• Harris, Dr. Beth and Dr. Steven Zucker. “Gustave Courbet, The Stonebreakers.” https://smarthistory.org/courbet-the-stonebreakers/
• Harris, Dr. Beth and Dr. Steven Zucker, "Gustave Courbet, The Painter’s Studio: A Real Allegory Summing Up Seven Years of My Life as an Artist," in Smarthistory, August 9, 2015. https://smarthistory.org/courbet-the-artists-studio/