Letters Of Gustave Courbet

Letters of Gustave Courbet

The French Realist painter Gustave Courbet (1819-77), apivotal figure in the emergence of modern painting, remainsan artist whose interests, attitudes, and friendships arelittle understood. A voluminous correspondent, Courbethimself, through his letters, offers a tantalizing avenuetoward a keener assessment of his character andaccomplishments. In her critical edition of over six hundredof the artist's letters, Petra ten-Doesschate Chu presentsjust such a look at the inner life of the artist; herunparalleled feat of gathering together all of Courbet'sknown letters, many heretofore unpublished and untranslated,is sure to change our evaluation of Courbet's creativity andof his place in nineteenth-century French life.Beginning when Courbet left his provincial home ateighteen and ending eight days before his death in exile inSwitzerland, this correspondence enables readers to followthe artist's development from youth to mature artist ofinternational repute. Addressed to correspondents such asthe poet Charles Baudelaire, the painter Claude Monet, thewriters Champfleury, Victor Hugo, and Th