The Roe Deer
1876
Gustave Courbet, the rebellious father of Realism, didn't shy away from the gritty reality of life—and death. Painted in 1876 during his final year of exile in Switzerland, this raw depiction of a hunted roe deer hangs limply against a blood-splattered rock face. Courbet was an avid hunter who often painted his kills with a brutal honesty that shocked the polished art world of his time. The loose, energetic brushstrokes give the scene a visceral feel, capturing the stark, unromanticized aftermath of the hunt just months before the artist's death.
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