Week Six Comments

    In week eight, elements of Modern art and modernity were discussed. Realists such Courbet and Manet were on the scene, portray the stark reality of modern French life, such as Manet's Olympia, which symbolized to some critics the problem of cities and prostitution. Olympia is a powerful image, with a courtesan staring at the viewer now rather than just being viewed.

    Olympia and espeically Courbet's Origin of the World brought into question pornography and art. Origin, being a private commission, seems nothing short of pornography, though is considered art.

    The Realists now moved to the country side to paint en plein air with the innovation of tube paint. Dupre, Breton, and Bonheur painted with dignity the plight of rural peasantry.