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Birth
Born 10 June in Ornans -
Period: to
Courbet's Life
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Arrives in Paris, enters the studio of Charles De Steuben
Courbet was born into a wealthy family, where his artistic talents became evident very early. After training at the school of drawing in Besancon, he left for Paris in 1840, initially to study law, but soon he decided to take up painting instead. While in Paris, he works at the studio with Charles De Steuben,and is then driven away by self discovery to develop his own style of work. -
Travels to Holland
The year 1847 marked a turning point in Courbet's career. His visit to Holland opened up to him the world of Rembrandt and, in so doing, determined his future.The Night Watch and The Anatomy Lesson revealed to him the means of reaching his ideal of realism. -
Returns to Ornans, where his father has prepared a studio for him
When he returned, he produced After Dinner in Ornans (1849) - a genre painting on a scale which up to then had been reserved only for historical or mythological works. In this painting one can feel, in spite of its debt to Dutch Baroque painting, the living reality that animates the two masterpieces which were completed in the same year: the The Stone-Breakers,and A Burial at Ornans which scandalized the Salon in 1850 and began a series of disputes involving itself and Courbet. -
When refused by Universal Exhibition, Courbet erects his own exhibition,Le Realism
Courbet took up the challenge and erected a booth called 'The Pavilion of Realism' on the edge of the exhibition. There, he presented an Exhibition of Forty Paintings, publishing his 'Manifesto of Realism' in the catalogue. Receiving jeers as well as some encouragement, he became the unchallenged leader of the movement.Although The Artist's Studio was not well received, Courbet's other smaller landscapes and still-lives sold well, which helped to keep him financially secure. -
Visit Germany
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Saves the city's collections from looting mobs
Placed in charge of all art museums under the revolutionary Commune of Paris - Courbet saves the city's collections from looting mobs
Also in this 1870 he refuses the Legion of Honour offered to him. Refusing the award of the Legion of Honor, declared his independence from any form of government. -
The commune falls, and Courbet is arrested and imprisoned
Courbet was arrested for the destruction of Napoleon's triumphal column in the Place Vendôme. Following a vindictive trial, he was condemned to ruin and exile. His bragging, and the jealousy he had aroused, along with his stance as a left-wing rebel, made people forget the debt which France owed him. Using his influence with his friends in the Commune, Courbet did in fact help to save the Louvre from the fire at the Tuileries. -
Released from Prison
Released from prison, moves to Switzerland -
Death of Courbet
Dies 31 December in the town of La Tour-de-Peilz, Switzerland
