Monday, May 19, 2014

Gustave Courbet - The Sleepers

Artist: Gustave Courbet, June 1819 - December 1877
Title: The Sleepers
Dimensions: 135 x 200 cm
Medium: Oil on canvas
Date: 1866
References: Wikipaintings.org, Wikipedia.org




Gustave Courbet was a French painter who was a leader in the Realist art movement. His work consisted of personal statements and beliefs of freedom to live life as one chooses.  The portrait The Sleepers displays two nude women laying in bed seemingly after making love. It expresses erotic realism without any distractions or mythological interpretations. I chose this piece because it expresses that love and intimacy can exist between any individuals, whether it is two males or two females. This piece might have been more controversial for its time than it is now, but the taboo still exists and it needs to be recognized and addressed before it can be vanquished.

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