Courbet's village funeral: a long line of mourners in black, a priest and a crucifix against pale cliffs, with a dog in the foreground.

Theme · Realism in France

The Pavilion of Realism

In 1855, after the Exposition Universelle jury turned down The Painter's Studio, Courbet built his own pavilion and showed his work there.

He paid for it himself and put it within sight of the official exhibition. The show included The Painter's Studio and A Burial at Ornans, with more than forty works in all.

  • Its catalogue carried his Realist manifesto, promising subjects from modern life.
  • In the catalogue preface he wrote that the title of Realist had been imposed on him.
  • It was a step outside the official system that later independent shows, including the Impressionists' in 1874, took further.

See

Image: Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

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