The Stone Breakers
Gustave Courbet · 1849
Why it's great
Two laborers break stones on a roadside, one old and one young, with faces hidden from view. Courbet saw them at work and invited them to model. Painting poor workers life-size was considered shocking. The original was destroyed in 1945 during World War II, but copies show its impact.
🏛️ Part of history
Independence & Revolutions (1820–1848) (1820–1848) — Courbet's two laborers on a dusty road were the radical new subject of 1848: ordinary working people shown without prettying them up.
Where to see it
📍 Destroyed in World War II (1945)
Hang it on your wall
Three places to look for a print of this painting, from budget to museum-grade:
These links open search results on each shop's own website; we don't sell anything or earn a commission, and print quality varies by seller. Ask a grown-up before you buy anything.
Gustave Courbet was born in Ornans, in eastern France, and moved to Paris to become an artist. He led the Realism movement, insisting on painting real people and real life instead of myths. He was outspoken and got into political trouble, and he fled to Switzerland in the end. He died there in 1877.
