Gustave (Jean-Desire) Courbet

Gustave Courbet (1819-1877) is the French painter credited with leading the Realist movement in the 19th century.  Courbet's mission was to portray nature as realistically as possible without idealizing life.  This move away from Romanticism was aimed at erasing social contradictions and finding truth in art.  Courbet painted during a time of political revolution in his native France.  He promoted democratic and socialist ideas and was even imprisoned for this at one time.