![]() The name comes from the opening words of a passage relating to the Annunciation- Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariae, or “The Angel of the Lord announced to Mary.” Jean-François Millet was not prompted to paint the scene out of religious fervor. The Angelus is a prayer that was traditionally recited three times a day in Roman Catholic countries, in the morning, at noon and, as here, at sunset. Prints of it were displayed in thousands of Christian households, though it was equally popular with cartoonists, who loved to lampoon its sentimental approach. This celebrated painting was one of the most widely reproduced images in the 19th century. Yet Courbet directs his attention to a little peasant boy, whose opinion seems to matter more to the artist than those of the affluently dressed scholars and collectors observing him, demonstrating the importance for artists to observe and represent the beauty of their contemporary reality. Included in the crowd are also portraits of Courbet’s friends, collectors, and patrons. ![]() All around are sights of an artist’s studio such as a skull, a model contorted into a complex pose, and another wearing a traditional Chinese costume and waiting to be called to the platform. The nude model watching him paint acts as the embodiment of unidealized beauty. At the center of the composition Courbet sits painting one of his more typical canvases, which symbolically represents his ethos of “truth” in painting. The painting’s title is a clever pun, since it is both a genuine allegory and Courbet’s allegory of the philosophy behind Realism. The Artist’s Studio differs significantly in tone and topic from Courbet’s depictions of rural domestic dramas and radiant landscapes, yet his most visually elaborate and densely narrative painting is still considered one of his greatest masterpieces. Courbet was particularly interested in France’s peasantry, and he painted many of his most important pictures in his hometown of Ornans. Gustave Courbet was the founder and leader of Realism, the influential 19th-century literary and artistic movement that focused on ordinary people, everyday themes, and visual verisimilitude. Gustave Courbet: The Artist's Studio © AISA-Everett/
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