In the center, Courbet works on a landscape, while turned away from a nude model who is a symbol of Academic art.

[2] The 1855 Paris World Fair's jury accepted eleven of Courbet's works for the Exposition Universelle, but The Painter's Studio was not among them.

In an act of self promotion and defiance, Courbet, with the help of Alfred Bruyas, opened his own exhibition (The Pavilion of Realism) close to the official exposition; this was a forerunner of the various Salon des Refusés.

Due to the short amount of time Courbet had to paint it, many original plans for the work had to be discarded.

[8] The female figure is based on an 1854 photograph by J. V. de Villeneuve and has been interpreted as a representation of the art of the Academy or as Courbet's Muse for Realism.

[9] The right side of the painting depicts a large number of Paris élites, including friends of the artist.