The Source
1862
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
47 1/4 x 29 1/4 in. (120 x 74.3 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929
Accession Number
29.100.58
Tags
Art Historical Context
Gustave Courbet's *The Source* (1862), an oil on canvas measuring 47¼ x 29¼ inches, captures the essence of Realism in a provocative female nude. Painted during the height of Courbet's career, this work depicts a woman emerging from a rocky pool, her body serving as the literal "source" of flowing water. As a pioneer of the Realist movement, Courbet the idealized figures of Romanticism and Academic art, instead embracing raw, unvarnished depictions of the human form drawn from direct observation. The painting's bold sensuality and earthy palette highlight Courbet's mastery of oil techniques, ...
About the Artist
Gustave Courbet · 1819–1877
Jean Désiré Gustave Courbet (1819-1877) was a French painter who revolutionized 19th-century art as the founding figure of the Realism movement. Born in Ornans, a small town in the Doubs region of France, Courbet came from a prosperous farming family with anti-monarchical roots—his maternal grandfather had participated in the French Revolution. This background shaped his lifelong commitment to dep...