Édouard Manet

Lore & Background

Manet was born in Paris into an upper-class household with strong political connections. He rejected the naval career envisioned for him and became engrossed in painting. From 1850 to 1856, he studied under academic painter Thomas Couture, a conservative who was critical of Manet's modern subjects and horrified by his choice of lower-class subjects such as The Absinthe Drinker. In his spare time, Manet copied Old Masters in the Louvre. He traveled to the Netherlands and Germany in 1863 and 1872, influenced by Frans Hals, Velázquez, and Goya.

In 1856, Manet opened a studio. His early style featured loose brush strokes, simplification of details, and suppression of transitional tones. He painted contemporary subjects such as beggars, singers, and people in cafés. His work The Spanish Singer was admired by Théophile Gautier and placed conspicuously at the Salon in 1861. In 1862, he exhibited Music in the Tuileries, which provoked fury for its portrayal of his social circle instead of classical heroes. The Luncheon on the Grass was rejected by the Salon in 1863 but exhibited at the Salon des Refusés, where it became one of the most discussed works. Olympia, exhibited at the Salon in 1865, created a scandal, with viewers threatening to destroy it.

Reader's Guide

Manet's significance lies in his role as a transitional figure from Realism to Impressionism and as a pioneer of modern art. His works The Luncheon on the Grass and Olympia challenged academic conventions through their subject matter—depicting contemporary life, prostitutes, and nudes in modern settings—and through their abbreviated, sketch-like brushwork. These innovations provoked public and critical outrage but were celebrated by progressive artists and writers such as Émile Zola. Manet's style, characterized by loose brush strokes and suppression of transitional tones, influenced future painters. The last 20 years of his life saw him form bonds with other great artists and develop a simple, direct style heralded as innovative. His legacy includes being one of the first to paint modern life and marking the start of modern art.

Did You Know?

• Manet was born into an upper-class household; his mother was goddaughter of Charles Bernadotte, who was king of Sweden by the time of her birth.
• He twice failed the examination to join the Navy before his father relented to his wish to pursue art.
• The Luncheon on the Grass was rejected by the Paris Salon in 1863 but exhibited at the Salon des Refusés, initiated by Emperor Napoleon III.
• Olympia was based on Titian's Venus of Urbino and caused a scandal at the 1865 Salon, with viewers threatening to destroy the painting.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"Édouard Manet (23 January 1832 – 30 April 1883) was a French painter - one of the first nineteenth century artists to approach modern-life subjects. His art bridged the divide between Realism and Impressionism." — Édouard Manet "Who is this Monet whose name sounds just like mine and who is taking advantage of my notoriety?" — Édouard Manet "Quote 1865, recorded by Theodore Duret at the [[w:Salon (Paris)|Paris Salon that year; as quoted on: SCRIBD - 'Manet's letters'" — Édouard Manet "I should be going with Champfleury and Stevens, but they keep putting it off. Anyway, they are bloody bores. Excuse the unseeming language, but since my letter is not for publication, I can say what I please. Touché." — Édouard Manet