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How did Gustave Courbet define the purpose of painting in 1861?
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Gustave Courbet
French painter Gustave Courbet posing for an undated photograph.
In 1861, Gustave Courbet defined the purpose of painting by stating that it is an essentially concrete art form that can only consist of the representation of real and existing things.1
This perspective was central to his leadership of the Realist movement, through which he sought to portray subjects as truthfully and objectively as possible, rejecting the traditional artistic practices of embellishment or idealization.21