Courbet A&i

Few artists have been so directly involved in the events of their time as the French Realist painter Gustave Courbet (1819-77). Amid the social transformations of the mid-nineteenth century, Courbet's unconventional paintings of real people in everyday scenes came to embody values with radical political implications. James Rubin addresses the entire range of Courbet's work including his hunting scenes, spirited landscapes, still lifes, portraits and erotic nudes. Over eighty paintings by Courbet are presented here in colour. An excellent introduction to Courbet and to Realism, this original and engaging account combines a close reading of the paintings with fascinating discussion of the personal, political and socio-economic circumstances in which they were created.