Gustave Courbet (1819-1877) studied both law and fine arts, finally choosing a career in the latter subject. From the 1840s onward, he was part of the bohemian life in Paris, and considered himself to be an artistic and political rebel. Courbet used the term realism to describe his own style, and did not hesitate to shock the viewer with untraditional subjects like burials or sexualized female nudes.
