Gustave Courbet presents The Painter's Studio, A Real Allegory Defining Seven Years of My Artistic and Moral Life, c. 1854-1855. This painting describes all the problems of being a professional artist. The realism of this self-portrait makes the painting unique describing all the exploitation of a household name, admired by all but accepted by few. The artist carries on with his daily routine of everyday life including the studio practice and a contemplation of his own philosophy while the viewers observe. The playful cat in the foreground feels like the cat is responding to the love of the artist's profession as a painter, the reward being the artistic contribution. Love in the garden of philosophy equals the complement an artist can contribute to their genre, whether it is excepted in their lifetime or not, they have already made the contribution. Philosophy is worked through with ideas and applying these through practise in the studio for an artist. God wants you to make an equation about his love no matter the distractions and all the pitfalls of society. Truth is often rejected by people who do not want to see their reflection in the mirror with artists often trespassing too close to the heart of man. An artist has a role to fulfill or play and this place is often determined in history, distance allows the heart to recover. God in the garden of an artist's heart is the truth.
