Which 1854-1855 painting by Courbet depicts the artist meeting his patron?

Which 1854–1855 painting by Courbet depicts the artist meeting his patron? It is “Bonjour, Monsieur Courbet.”

Also known as “The Meeting,” the painting shows Courbet encountering Alfred Bruyas on the road near Montpellier. Bruyas was the artist’s patron and collector; his servant Calas and Courbet’s dog Breton also appear in the scene. Courbet painted the work in 1854, and it was first shown publicly at the Paris Exhibition of 1855.

The composition presents the artist and patron standing face to face in an open landscape. Courbet’s confident posture and relatively equal footing with Bruyas have often been read as a statement about the artist’s independence and dignity, rather than a conventional image of a subordinate meeting a wealthy benefactor.

The painting was initially called “La Rencontre” (“The Meeting”). Its familiar greeting title emphasizes the encounter and helped make it one of Courbet’s most recognizable Realist works. It is held by the Musée Fabre in Montpellier.

Do not confuse it with “The Artist’s Studio,” another major Courbet painting from the same period. That work is an allegorical scene about the artist’s world, not a roadside meeting with Bruyas.