The Desperate Man by Gustave Courbet - 1845 - 45 × 55 cm private collection The Desperate Man by Gustave Courbet - 1845 - 45 × 55 cm private collection

The Desperate Man

oil on canvas • 45 × 55 cm
  • Gustave Courbet - June 10, 1819 - December 31, 1877 Gustave Courbet 1845

Gustave Courbet must have been the most arrogant man in France. He was a painter of a great talent, that's true - but he also had a unique need to cause scandals. As he said once: "I painted the picture so that it would be refused. I have succeeded. That way it will bring me some money". The self-portrait we present to you today depicts several late-romantic personae: dandy, dreamer, vagabond and madman.