In the context of this artwork, explain the Interpretations of the Analysis.
By 1848, Courbet showed an interest in representing common people in a realistic manner. He expressed in letters his belief that his art was democratic. By depicting the townspeople of Ornans at a grand scale that was previously reserved for history paintings, Courbet declared the importance of ordinary, rural people to the Parisian public at the Salon. The provocative presentation of an ordinary subject in a large format has led many commentators to see the work as a political statement. This interpretation was especially common among Courbet's contemporaries who praised it for its realism, as well as for the democratic and socialist ideals it represented.The composition of the painting has provided further support for this political interpretation. The horizontal format, with all figures represented on roughly the same level, delivered a seemingly egalitarian and socialist message.Art historian T.J. Clark, however, has argued that the sociopolitical message of the painting is complex. Clark emphasizes the painting's stillness, ambiguity, and irony. At the time of the painting's creation, there was tension between peasants and the bourgeoisie, and though this painting may depict the rural bourgeoisie, it does not, according to Clark, take a stance on them. Clark instead claims that the painting simply represents rural French life, its structure, and permanence. Clark relates this message to the personal position of Courbet, whose family was not fully bourgeois, but was wealthy enough to own two homes. Rather than see the painting in terms of left and right politics, Clark interprets it as being about the subject of class.Other commentators have rejected both politics and class as key to the painting's meaning. Some have simply interpreted it as Courbet's effort to depict an event that took place in his hometown. The art critic Champfleury wrote at the time, "there is not a trace of socialism in A Burial at Ornans ... Fortunately, M. Courbet has not tried to prove anything by his Burial. It represents death of a citizen who is escorted to his last resting place by other citizens ... It has pleased the painter to show us the domestic life of a small town ... As to the alleged ugliness of the townspeople, there is nothing exaggerated about it."
history painting bourgeoisie Ornans T.J. Clark Paris Champfleury