Courbet Exhibition at Palazzo dei Diamanti in Ferrara

A major exhibition of Gustave Courbet's work is on view at Palazzo dei Diamanti in Ferrara, Italy. The show traces the career of the French painter (1819–1877) from his early self-portrait "Autoritratto con cane nero" to his later landscapes and seascapes. Courbet was a leading figure of the Realist movement, rejecting Romanticism in favor of depicting everyday life and the working class. The exhibition highlights his revolutionary approach, including his famous "Fanciulle sulle rive della Senna" and his dynamic wave paintings influenced by Hokusai's ukiyo-e. Courbet's political involvement in the Paris Commune of 1871 led to his exile in Switzerland, where he continued painting until his death from cirrhosis. The exhibition includes loans from major museums and explores his impact on Impressionism.