''The Source'' is a 1862 oil painting on canvas by the French realist painter

Gustave Courbet Jean Désiré Gustave Courbet ( ; ; ; 10 June 1819 – 31 December 1877) was a French painter who led the Realism movement in 19th-century French painting. Committed to painting only what he could see, he rejected academic convention and the ...

. The painting shows a nude woman standing outside in nature, in a body of water.

Description

''The Source'' depicts a nude woman standing in front of a stream of water. In the painting the woman is reaching into the stream while it is flowing unto her arms. The identity of the woman in the painting is unknown. There was some speculation on whether or not the woman had previously modeled for Courbet. Some say she modeled for Courbet twice, others say she only modeled for Courbet one time.

Inspiration

Many people believe that Courbet’s painting was inspired by the 1856 oil painting ''The Source'' by

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres ( ; ; 29 August 1780 – 14 January 1867) was a French Neoclassicism, Neoclassical Painting, painter. Ingres was profoundly influenced by past artistic traditions and aspired to become the guardian of academic ...

. Both paintings show fully nude women and share similar nature scenes. Courbet’s painting has also been compared to ''The Moon and The Earth'' painting done by

Paul Gauguin Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramist, and writer, whose work has been primarily associated with the Post-Impressionist and Symbolist movements. He was also an influ ...

in 1893.Royal Cortissoz. "Gustave Courbet at the Museum." ''New York Tribune'' (April 6, 1919), p. 7 Courbet’s painting is in the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

Description

Inspiration

References

Further reading