Religious morality sets the theme and codes in painting in Courbet's time. Courbet questing spiritual principles through his paintings, like Gustave Courbet's Nude Paintings, was a hot topic then.
Gustave Courbet's style often narrates unidealised peasants and workers, mainly of a less overtly political nature he brings into his canvas.
Courbet de-politicises the mythological context of 19th-century art, giving artists freedom of choice. His rejection of all representations of fictional or artificial imagery makes him a father of modern art.
Art was not free from the regulations and censorship in the time of Courbet, and he was often rebellious against the 'state' and 'religious' sponsored absurd thoughts of art.
His exhibited paintings challenge the traditional style and method for depicting daily life on a large scale, counted as history paintings, and a decidedly realistic style.