The Source is an oil on canvas painting created by Gustave Courbet in 1862. This monumental canvas exemplifies the artist’s commitment to Realism and his controversial treatment of the female nude during the mid-nineteenth century.
Courbet depicts a full-figured woman emerging from a wooded spring, or ‘source.’ The figure turns her back slightly to the viewer, pulling a shift over her body. Unlike the highly idealized figures favored by the contemporary French Salon, the work presents a fleshy, unvarnished depiction of the human form, grounded firmly in the natural world. The rich, earthy palette and the thick, deliberate application of oil paint emphasize the material quality of both the figure and the rugged, moss-covered environment surrounding the water.
The painting, dating from a crucial period in Courbet’s career, challenged contemporary aesthetic standards that demanded classical restraint in depictions of female nudes. Courbet’s emphasis on naturalism over academic savoir-faire made works like The Source highly influential for subsequent generations of artists seeking to redefine modern painting. Today, this masterwork is part of the esteemed collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. As a prominent example of 19th-century French Realism, the image remains highly recognizable, and high-quality prints derived from its status in the public domain are widely studied and admired globally.
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