Portrait of Charles Baudelaire 1849

Gustave Courbet painted this portrait of Charles Baudelaire, the famous French poet, in the mid-19th century. It's interesting to consider the public role of art in France at this time, as well as the politics of imagery. Courbet was at the forefront of the Realist movement, which sought to depict the world as it really was, rather than idealizing it. He rejected the academic tradition, and his work was often controversial. Baudelaire, too, was a controversial figure. His poetry was often critical of the bourgeois values of his time. In this portrait, Baudelaire is shown as an intellectual, a man of letters. Note the books on the desk, the pen, and the thoughtful expression on his face. It's a statement about the importance of art and literature, and a challenge to the conservative forces in French society. Art historians consult a variety of sources, from letters to exhibition reviews, to understand the social and institutional context in which art is made. Art, after all, is always contingent on its time and place.