A Burial At Ornans Analysis

When considering the artistic traditions of the past it's important to keep perspective in mind. The whole point of most artists up to the late 19th century was to earn their keep and living by creating art for the upper class and royalty. That being said, everything that the artists did had to impress and flatter the royalty or they wouldn't get a commission, and no commission meant no money for food. So naturally the art that was created was all about flattering the royalty, making the gods and mythology look good, or in some way provoking an emotional reaction from the viewers that would cause them to pay the artist enough to survive. This changed in the late 19th century when artists started creating art for "art's sake". Two paintings that I personally like and believe exemplify this thought process are "The Gleaners" by Millet, and "A Burial at Ornans" by Courbet. …show more content…
A painting depicting the lower class in a field gleaning wheat embodies the principles of life is difficult as well as the fact that there is a stark separation between social classes. The burial at ornans would be ok if it was the burial of a king or other royalty, instead it's the burial of a simple peasant, that takes place in a simple village most gentry wouldn't have even noticed as they rode past. They certainly took notice when it was depicted in painting and instead of waking up and noticing the plight of those beneath them, they labeled the artists rebels and slandered their work for a time. Thankfully as time went on these artists and their work went from ridiculed to actually