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Gustave Courbet: Realism Without Compromise
Author(s): Georges Riat (Author)
- Publisher: Parkstone Press USA, Limited
- Publication Date: 8 May 2019
- Language: English
- Print length: 256 pages
- ISBN-10: 9781646994199
- ISBN-13: 1646994191
Book Description
Born of both materialism and positivism, Gustave Courbet stands out as one of the most complex painters of the nineteenth century. Rejecting tradition, Courbet confronted the public with the truths of his time as he liberated painting from the rules of convention in both subject and style, and established himself as the leader of pictorial realism. This study of Courbet meticulously retraces historical accounts of his contemporaries including the praises and critiques inspired by this controversial painter. Through his astute research as an art historian, Georges Riat offers a new approach to the work of an artist who embodied the decisive break with academic painting.
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Having studied literature and history, Georges Riat went on to the prestigious Ecole nationale des chartes before becoming a curator at the National Library of France. Specialising in the conservation of engravings at the National Library, Riat especially admired Ruysdaël’s engravings, on which he wrote an important monograph. A respected art historian, his articles often appeared in the Gazette des arts. He later focused exclusively on his monograph of Courbet. Revisiting the wide-ranging testimonies of the era, this work is truly an exceptional resource on the life and work of Gustave Courbet.
