Today (June 10) is the birthday of French painter Gustave Courbet (1819), a leader of the Realism movement. He rejected Classicism and Romanticism and instead elevated humble scenes and depicted ordinary people as heroes. Manet took inspiration from Courbet’s ideas, as did the early Impressionists. Burial at Ornans “buries the viewer as if he or she were in a cave. In a decidedly non-classical composition, figures mill about in the darkness, unfocused on ceremony. As a prime example of Realism, the painting sticks to the facts of a real burial and avoids amplified spiritual connotations.” (The Art Story) Visit the gallery to find our own examples of Realism. Open today and tomorrow from noon until 4.
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#courbet #frenchartist #realism #burialatornans #artistbirthday #tappahannockartguild
