First published 2007
Gustave Courbet stands before his easel in his Ornans studio, brush heavy with paint, defying the art establishment of nineteenth century France. The painter refuses to romanticize peasants or glorify mythology. Instead he captures stone breakers and funeral scenes with unflinching realism. His canvases scandalize the Paris Salon and enrage critics who demand idealized subjects. Courbet battles conservative forces while navigating friendships with writers like Baudelaire and Champfleury. He faces exile after supporting the Paris Commune, watching his career crumble as political winds shift against him. The novel follows Courbet through his rise as leader of the Realist movement and his fall from grace. Schlesser explores the cost of artistic integrity when society demands conformity. This fictional portrait reveals a man torn between his revolutionary vision and his need for acceptance.
Genres: art, historical-fiction, biographical-fiction, 19th-century
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: artistic-integrity, nonconformity
Setting: France, Ornans, Paris
Period: 19th-Century
Paperback · Nouvelles éditions Scala