Today is Gustave Courbet's birthday. He was known for defying authority and holding strong opinions, and his work received as much praise as it did criticism. Courbet did not embellish or romanticize like many of his French contemporaries but preferred to depict reality as it was, through complex textures and rich tones. His passion for earthy realism, shown by his subjects (e.g. rural laborers) and his use of materials, positioned him as the figurehead of the new school of Realism. In "Head of a Sleeping Bacchante," the artist smudged a greasy conté crayon to create the piece's vivid texture, which was in stark contrast to the clean lines prescribed by the French Academy at the time. No stranger to controversy, Courbet publicly refused the award of the Legion of Honor in 1870, simultaneously declaring his independence from any form of government. His political views were as famous as his art, and he spent his final years in exile in Switzerland. 🖼️ Head of a Sleeping Bacchante, 1...