Max Buchon was a friend of Gustave Courbet. Buchon wrote an essay to publicize Courbet’s painting of the stonebreakers and a burial at Ornan. He wrote about the two paintings, what he thought about them and what the painter thought about them. He also talked about how these paintings were so very realistic in the way they showed the bourgeoisie's life. He also argued about Courbet not being a socialist as people thought he was. He showed why he thought that, and what Courbet really intended to do.
             Buchon starts off by talking about the stonebreaker's painting. He says that the painting represents two life-like figures “alpha and the omega”. He describes the characters of the painting as “that poor worker you know”. He calls the kid in the picture stupid because misery often leads too stupidity. After describing the child, he describes the old man in the picture. Saying that he is good and a hard worker that probably gives a puff of his smoke to strangers he meets. He describes how good he is because of experience, but also how tired he gets because of his old age. How he works even in holidays to earn money to eat by “paving the road for mankind passing by”.
             Buchon seems disturbed by the thought of the stonebreakers not being part of the artist imagination, but actually real people that he sees every day. Then he goes to talk about what he calls Courbet’s principal work of the year; a burial at Ornans.
             Max seems fascinated by the amount of work put in by the artist for a burial at Ornans. He tells us how big it is and life like it is because he has seen those people in Ornans. He says they are wearing traditional outfits and that there are many people in the painting but you still have to look at the gravedigger. Again Buchon is concerned with the poorest of the working class. He talks about how the digger is on his knees waiting for the coffin. He says that the gravedigger gives the painting a whole...