Edouard Manet

23 January 1832 - 30 April 1883.

Manet was born in Paris. His father, Auguste Manet, was a famous judicial officer who wanted him to pursue a career in law. At the age of sixteen Manet wanted to attend the Navy, because his father wanted him to do so. However, he failed the examination twice. In 1850 he started training as painter under Thomas Couture artist's workshop, a French painter and founder of the school of Impressionists, with whom Manet stayed six years. In 1856 Manet opened his own workshop. His major early work was Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe (1863). The painting uses realistic techniques. Manet was known for his scandalous painting. Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe and Olympia were regarded as scandalous paintings at that time because they violated aesthetic conventions. Another scandalous painting is Olympia 1865. The painting shows a nude woman (presented as Olympia and her black full clothed maid. The way Olympia is lying on the bed and other details identify her as courtesan. However the paintings found recognition by some literati, e.g. Baudelaire or Zola and a small group of painters whom we call Impressionists today.

Sources

• Eddy J. Arthur: "Edouard Manet, Painter", Brush and Pencil 1:5. (February 1898): 137-140.
• Hohenzollern von, Prinz Johann Georg, Schuster, Peter- Klaus: Manet bis Van Gogh. Hugo von Tschudi und der Kampf um die Moderne, München: Prestel, 1997.