Mère Grégoire

1855, reworked 1857–59

Gustave Courbet played a crucial role in the development of modern French Realism. Critics and the public, however, did not easily accept his large, naturalistic, and unsentimental depictions of commonplace, often rural subjects. They called him the “apostle of ugliness.” This painting's subject, Mère Grégoire, was inspired by the heroine of a popular song, the proprietor of a brothel, written in the 1820s.

Public domain · CC0
Free to download and reuse. Image courtesy of Art Institute of Chicago.

Artist

Gustave Courbet (French, 1819–1877)

Date

1855, reworked 1857–59

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

129 × 97.5 cm (50 3/4 × 38 3/8 in.); Framed: 168 × 137.2 × 16.2 cm (66 1/8 × 54 × 6 3/8 in.)

Origin

France

Collection

Art Institute of Chicago

Credit

Wilson L. Mead Fund