When Manet painted Olympia in 1863 the artistic climate in Paris, but Europe mostly, functioned under traditional rules about how art should look and be. ArtistĬontextual Analysis: A Brief Socio-Historical Overview We will then provide a formal analysis by taking a peek at Olympia and Manet’s overall subject matter and stylistic elements, for example, the color, brushwork, perspective, and scale. Olympia (1863) by Édouard Manet Édouard Manet, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Furthermore, we will discuss the significance of the dominant art movement Manet was involved in during his art career, which was Realism and then Impressionism.

In this article, we will provide a Manet Olympia analysis starting with a contextual analysis, which will discuss Manet and his artworks in more detail to provide context for why he painted Olympia. For its time, during the 1800s, it was a painting that caused controversy because what Manet depicted was not a mythological, and therefore accepted, nude female figure, but the nude female figure of a prostitute with various suggestive objects alluding to this. Manet’s Olympia has been the subject of numerous outrages and shocked viewers. Manet is remembered as one of the leading artists of Impressionism, however, he was also a part of the Realism art movement and depicted scenes of modern life.Ĭlose-up photograph of artist Édouard Manet, before 1870 Nadar, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons He was also acquainted with numerous artists and scholars, notably Gustave Courbet and Charles Baudelaire. Manet was a revolutionary artist of his time, going against the traditional grain of the Salon.

After his studies, he started his own art studio, which was in 1856. From 1850 up to 1856 he started studying under Thomas Couture, who was a French teacher and artist. He was always interested in art and after enrolling in the Navy and Marines at his father’s behest he pursued his studies in art. He was born in Paris into a wealthy family. Édouard Manet was a French artist, born on 23 January 1832. 6.2 What Was the Artist of Olympia Trying to Do?.6.1 What Is That Famous Painting of a Woman Lying Down?.4 Manet and Feminism: Olympia, the Maid, and the Matter of a Gaze.3.6 Manet’s Olympia: Symbolic References.3 Formal Analysis: A Brief Compositional Overview.2.1 Contextual Analysis: A Brief Socio-Historical Overview.1 Artist Abstract: Who Was Édouard Manet?.The caption commented, 'The poor things, seeing themselves painted like this, have tried to escape! In anticipation, he has put in a railing that cuts off all possibiity of retreat. 'One of the first cartoons to appear, drawn by Cham for the comic journal Le Charivari, called the picture The Lady with a Seal.

It's hard to imagine now, but this painting caused quite the furor when it first appeared in the Salon. The railroad, with its powerful steam engines, became a fascination for many Impressionist artists. A thoroughly modern image, it confounds traditional expectations about subject and narrative in order to present a new and dynamic vision of the contemporary city.' 'The Railway is among Manet’s most beautiful and enigmatic paintings. Gift of Horace Havemeyer in memory of his mother, Louisine W. National Gallery - Manet, The Railway The Railway

Manet the railway