Courbet

Description

Few artists have been so directly invoved in the events of their time as Gustave Courbert. Amid the social transformations of the mid-19th century, Courberts unconventional and stark paintings came to embody values with radical political implications. Rebuffed by the Parisian art world and attacked as a"Realist", he seized upon that name to assert his sympathy for ordinary citizens and their down-to-earth experience. Coubert painted subjects from the world around him: from rural labourersand family gatherings to sensuous landscapes, hunting scenes, still lifes, portraits and erotic nudes. James Rubin addresses the full range of Courbet's work and combines a close reading of the paintings with a discussion of the personal, political, economic and social circumstances in which they were created.

James Rubin is Professor of Art History at the State University of New York, Stony Brook, and also teaches at the Cooper Union in New York City. His books include Impressionism in the Art & Ideas series, Realism and Social Vision in Courbet and Proudhon and Manet's Silence and the Poetics of Bouquets.

"An eloquent and intelligent account of Courbet's work. Rubin manages to find a level which makes the book relevant to present scholarship on Courbet, but also eminently accessible to undergraduate students."-John Kear, Department of the History and Theory of Art, University of Kent at Canterbury "Enlightening and very readable."-The Artist "Rubin writes with uncommon lucidity."-Art Review On the Art & Ideas series "Art & Ideas has broken new ground in making accessible authoritative views on periods, movements and concepts in art. As a series it represents a real advance in publishing."-Sir Nicholas Serota, Director, Tate London "The format is wonderful and offers what had long been missing in academic studies: usable manuals for specific themes or periods... I am definitely not alone in welcoming Art & Ideas as a precious set of teaching tools."-Joachim Pissarro, Yale University "Phaidon's series may prove to be the pick of the crop. It boasts expert but undogmatic texts and a wealth of illustrations."-The Sunday Telegraph