The stone breakers

Artist

Gustave Courbet

Date

1849

Size

170 × 240 cm

Materials

oil on canvas

Genre

realism

what does the genre state about the painting?

the realist depictions of working class individuals as oppossed to the classical idealised gods or mythological figures creates a sense of contemporary change, Courbet is one of the first to challenge the orthodoxy in terms of realism and criticises the emerging middle and upper classes.

How are the figures represented?

in tattered clothing and with tonal modelling that is implicit of strenous labour, bent limbs and annonymous faces suggest that he is representing the working class as a whole, and appreciating their humble efforts to live in an ever growing society.

tools are also discarded and broken, with food to the right that suggests they are working all day - youthful and old figure, it is difficult to escape the confinement of poverty.

What does Courbet aim to do with this painting?

he democratises the world of art with a depiction of mid-century French rural life that is filled with abuse and deprivation, amplifying this need for change to the academy.

What does Joseph Proudhon state?

that it is a great socialist work - ‘a masterpiece in its genre’