Gustave Courbet (1819-1877) was a pioneering French painter who played a crucial role in the development of the Realist movement. Born in Ornans, a small town in eastern France, Courbet was known for his bold rejection of the idealized subjects and techniques of Romanticism in favor of a more realistic and sometimes controversial portrayal of everyday life. His works often depicted the rural poor, laborers, and the ordinary people of his native region, capturing them with a raw, unembellished truth that was both innovative and provocative. Courbet's most famous works include "The Stone Breakers" (1849) and "A Burial at Ornans" (1850), both of which shocked the art world for their large-scale depiction of mundane subjects traditionally considered unworthy of such grand treatment. His insistence on painting only what he could see was a radical departure from the historical and allegorical themes that dominated the art of his time. Courbet was also politically active, participating in the Paris Commune of 1871, which led to his imprisonment and exile. He died in Switzerland in 1877, but his influence lived on, inspiring future generations of artists, including the Impressionists, to pursue truth in their work.