for the rest of his life, courbet painted erotic pictures like the picture of the prostitutes, and also many more hunting scenes. his last erotic painting was called "the origin of the world" and was a close-up painting of female genitals. this painting was not shown in a public exhibition until 1988. he also painted many landscapes, which he began by doing outdoor sketches, then made into large paintings in his studio. by the 1870s courbet was thought of as one of the leading artists in france. the emperor offered to make courbet a member of the légion d'honneur which was the highest honour in france, but courbet refused to accept it. he believed that he belonged to the poor and ordinary people, not to the high and mighty.