istake and now acknowledge the richness of texture, and attention to the surface of things. They are struck with their vivacity and freshness, things unknown to their own pictures…it is worse that they make painful studies of individual articles singly, so that they look cut out, without belonging to the whole. And they neglect the look of nature altogether, under its various changes.” (Holt, pg.116) This thought of brushwork and color to portray nature and evoke feelings is central to the beliefs of the Romantic painters. In contrast to the Romantic genre scene by Constable, The Stonebreakers by Courbet is a perfect example of a Realist painting. The actual painting itself was lost during World War II, so all that remains of its existence are reproductions, mostly from history books. It is a depiction of a real event that Courbet witnessed on the road to Maizieres. He saw two stonebreakers on the side of the road and had them go to his studio in Ornans to pose for him. As is inherent in Realist art, there is no emotion put into the painting. It is simply a straightforward recreation of a moment in time. There is, however, a reference to the never-ending cycle of work for this class of people. By putting an old man and a young boy in the same picture, he emphasizes the fact that the old man has been doing this hard labor all of his life and also implies that the young boy is destined to live the same life. (Rosenblum, pg. 224)There are details in the picture that emphasize the adversity in the working class society, but they are shown in an unbiased and emotionless way. For example, the baggy pants, torn sock, and worn shoes all show the hardships of this class of people, but it is shown as simply a fact, not to evoke feelings as in Romanticism. The thoughts of Courbet are the exact beliefs of the Realist Movement. In a letter to a group of students in 1861, he writes his basis for his ideas in art. “I d...
