Painting: The Origin of Problems (Study #1)

This painting is a study for a painting, "The Origin of Problems," meant to be a humorous take on Gustave Courbet's "L'Origine du Monde" - or is it? Courbet painted a series of erotic works, including The Sleepers, featuring a loving lesbian couple asleep in bed, and L’Origine du Monde, which depicts a woman’s genitals,  pubic hair, belly, spread legs, and breast, with her head covered by a sheet.  The title of the painting pays homage to women’s capacity to give birth, thereby perpetuating the species (the world) but also refers to Courbet’s own fascination with seeing female nudity. Upon discovering this painting years ago, a friend of mine told me, "I want her." A visceral reaction... Courbet’s superb rendering of the woman’s body serves as a testament to the tenets of Realism, the philosophy Courbet pioneered that endorsed strict adherence to reality in art. In the 20th century, this painting caused outrage among feminist scholars, who perceive it as the ultimate example of female