To make knowledge visible . . .

Today is the birthday of Jean Désiré Gustave Courbet (June 10, 1819 – December 31, 1877), painter. He is oft referred to as the leading representative of the Realist movement in French painting and is credited with coining the term Realism to describe the artistic movement.

Gustave Courbet(French, 1819–1877)
The Desperate Man, 1844–45
Oil on canvas17 3/4 x 21 5/8 in. (45 x 55 cm)
"The beautiful is in nature, and it is encountered under the most diverse forms of reality. Once it is found it belongs to art, or rather to the artist who discovers it." - Gustave Courbet

"Beauty, like truth, is relative to the time when one lives and to the individual who can grasp it. The expression of beauty is in direct ratio to the power of conception the artist has acquired." - Gustave Courbet

"Painting is an essentially concrete art and can only consist of the representation of real and existing things." - Gustave Courbet

"I hope to live all my life for my art, without abandoning my principles one iota." - Gustave Courbet

"Fine art is knowledge made visible." - Gustave Courbet

Image source (1)