"The Painters Studio" 1855 by Courbet

This picture is called "The Painters Studio" by Courbet. Courbet himself is actually the main focus in this picture. He is painting a landscape while a nude woman is watching him on his right side, and a small boy is watching him paint on his left side. The nude woman represents inspiration, the definition of the French academy. The little boy represents inocence, looking at the world and art with fresh new eyes. The people on the left side represent the people of Ornans, where he's from, and the people on the right side represent the people of paris where he's also from. Courbet is torn from trying to balance both sides of where he's from. He's also trying to balance of how he should paint, the way he's sees art, or the way the French Academy views art.

This painting can relate to the 21st century today. Everybody at least at one point of their life has felt insecure of who they really are. Mainly many teenagers as they're becoming adults struggle to try and figure out their own identity. Just like Courbet felt pressured by the French academy, many people can feel peer pressured by their friends or other people into doing things thinking in a certain way even though they don't agree with it. The important thing to do is to be yourself no matter what. Sure you can try out new things and be open to new ideas but in the end you'll know if thats right for you.