Project Title (MUST be the same as entered in the registration form)

Presenter name (applicant), additional collaborator(s) name(s)

Project Mentor(s): Primary mentor, additional mentor(s)

Abstract body text (MUST BE 250 WORDS OR FEWER)

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Keywords: 1-5 words/phrase describing your project (identical to your answer in the registration form)

Example of final submission (please delete before uploading, so that the only thing in the doc is the information for YOUR project):

Gustave Courbet and the Success of Modernism

Joshua Collins, Frank Barry, Alyssa Brown, Charlie Williamson

Project Mentor(s): Johnathan Smith

The political turmoil of eighteenth and nineteenth century Europe caused a drastic move away from monarchical rule and the art the crown favored. This was especially the case in France, which established a republic government after the Revolution of 1848. Divisions in politics mirrored the divided opinions on art, as some artists followed the standards set by the Royal Academy while others moved past them. The Realists used their own iconography and subject matter to appeal to the Academic ideals of art but departed from traditional expectations. Realist artist Gustave Courbet (1819-1877) used the political turning point to move art towards modernism through the academy’s own iconography, compositions, and subject matter. This presentation uses comparative and iconographic methods to analyze Courbet’s A Burial at Ornans (1849-1850) and The Studio of the Painter: A Real Allegory Summing Up Seven Years of My Artistic Life (1855), two of Courbet’s most influential works, and is informed by the writings of Stephen F. Eisenman and Linda Nochlin. Burial and Studio responded to the changing political climate and moved art away from academicism, which created a foundation for modern art movements. Courbet’s interest in the political conflict across French society fueled his consistent depiction of the working class that aligned with the Realist movement and departed from Academic traditions. This expansion of subject matter to reflect the realities of modern life was embraced by avant-garde artists, and an examination of this shift helps us understand the decline of the Academy and the success of Modernism.

Presentation Type:

Keywords: Art History, Modernism, Realism