Olympia, Édouard Manet. 1863 C.E. France. Oil on canvas
Olympia and the controversy surrounding what is perhaps the most famous nude of the nineteenth-century. Olympia had more to do with the realism of the subject matter than the fact that the model was nude. Realism, movement towards impressionism
Form:
Imperfect, harsh style depicting a woman in a manner that does not fit the classical “ideal” and ethereal image of the body
Flatly painted, poorly contoured, abrupt shift in tonality, lacking depth and washed out
No vanishing point or recognizable perspective- hard to understand in space
Loose, choppy brush strokes (clearly a painted representation)
Function:
Rebel from previous convention and depict harsh realities of Parisian life
Ordinary people and unglamorous prostitution
Commentary on racial divisions and the class system in Paris
Content:
Nude woman reclining on a chaise lounge with a black cat at her feet
She stares with a cold, stark, indifferent expression at the viewer
A black female servant stands behind her holding a bouquet of flowers (a gift for the prostitute from a client)
Highlights the french colonial mindset and injustice in society
the stark contrast of the black skin from the white highlighted racial division
Depicts the world of Parisian prostitution
Depicted marginalized people in society rather than the traditional Bourgeois and aristocratic subjects
Context:
This is a salon painting (academic painting) that defied tradition creating an artistic revolution
This received extreme negative reviews from critics in 1865 at the Parisian Salon
It “bewildered” the Parisians and was seen as scandalous and an insult to tradition, caused unease amongst viewers because he shamelessly and obviously depicts a defiant looking prostitute, which unnerved viewers
Both a nude prostitute and a black maid was seen as inferior and animalistic sexuality
Manet mocked the revitalization of classical style by using a contemporary, ordinary subject. He suggested that the classical past no longer had relevance in the modern world.
Manet rejected controlled brush strokes and seamless illusionism
Time of the industrial revolution (linked to the separation from the outdated, classical past)
He recreated the Venus of Urbino but Manet’s creation was believed to be disrespectful and insulting to it
Manet referred to as the father of impressionism, his “rebellious” style inspired future work
Considered the first modernist painter in his technique and subjects
Manet’s realist predecessor was Gustave Courbet and drew inspiration from Velasquez and Goya and Dutch painters
The model was Victorine Meurent
Manet highlighted the injustice of colonial viewpoints, the anxieties of the class system (since many rural people moved to the growing cities), and the uncertainty of the modern world
“Olympia” was a common name for prostitutes
Cross-Cultural Connections
Venus of Urbino
Khan Academy, Gardner's
