The name Gustave Courbet inevitably recalls his most striking painting, The Origin of the World. The nude body of a reclining woman, thighs spread apart, with neither head nor feet portrayed. Ahead of its time, it's a painting that counters all prejudice, placing itself beyond all criticism.
Beyond all subjective considerations of his painting, Courbet is an artist who breaks with what went before. He represents a rupture in the history of art as well as in the positioning of the painter in public life.
This film aims at finding what led the painter to focus on realist paintings. It means grasping his painting, exploring colors, substance and the concrete. Following the path that winds through his paintings.

Available in Italian.