Gustave Courbet. Georges Riat

just how original Courbet’s art was, since it was disconcerting to such an extent. It must be noted that Man with a Pipe escaped the general disapproval which attached itself not only to A Burial at Ornans, The Stone Breakers and Return from the Fair, but even the portraits of Berlioz, Journet and of Wey, with the landscapes slipping by unnoticed in the tumult.

      For Peisse, this portrait is “an admirable bit of painting” and according to Vignon, “a gem of shaping, delicacy, and execution”. The “head rendered with a rare talent, ‘smoothness’ and a freedom in the brushwork which are quite remarkable, and which serve to prove that the author has studied the Carracci and the Spanish School,” thought Delécluze…

      And yet, a few critics were more insightful. For one admirer, The Stone Breakers, Return from the Fair and A Burial at Ornans were “triumphs of truth”. Albert de la Fizelière concluded that the scene of the A Burial at Ornans has a quiet drama and a definite effect. P. Pétroz, in the Vote Universel, applauded the artist for giving the painting of contemporary life the same elevation as historical painting, and for opening up a new avenue for art. And, as was to be expected, Champfleury vigorously championed his friend.