Gustave Courbet

Artist/Culture Etienne Carjat (French, 1828–1906)

Dateabout 1879

Mediumwoodburytype

Dimensions12 x 8.5 cm (4 3/4 x 3 3/8 in.)

ClassificationsPhotographs

Credit LinePurchase through the gift of Mrs. Joseph Goodhue

Terms

Object number1983.10.13

Label TextCourbet (1819–1877) is considered by many as the founder of the Realist movement in French painting. Uninterested in Romantic or heroic subjects, he preferred to paint what he deemed the authentic life of a common farmer. Condemned as vulgar at first, Courbet’s imagery eventually resonated with viewers for portraying the rural labor class as honest, noble, and intimately tied to nature. Carjat was a Parisian portraitist who photographed the most famous contemporary French performers, writers, and artists at his rue Laffitte studio. Breaking away from traditional studio photography of the 1860s, Carjat worked entirely without assistants and avoided props like tables, columns, and stools to encourage greater naturalism in his portraits. ProvenanceLucien Goldschmidt, Inc., New York, New York

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