Gustave Courbet, The Stone Breakers, 1849

Lost in the destruction of World War II, The Stone Breakers was Gustave Courbet’s breakthrough piece exhibited in the Paris Salon of 1851 at a time of revolution and struggle. Concerned with the common people, this politically-influenced painting depicts peasants at work. It shocked the visitors of the Salon because of its ordinary subject matter and abundance of imperfections.

Conservative critics felt off put by its mere size, measuring 1.6 x2.6 m. Courbet did not glamorize the subject matter and the laborers' torn up clothing disgusted many for the accurate depiction of their poverty. The roughness Courbet painted represented the social struggles of the times. The subject was criticized, but its stunning scale that was normally reserved for portraits and historical paintings helped distinguish him from his contemporaries.