Édouard Manet (1832-1883)


Nationality:
French

Movement or School:
Impressionism

Education:
Studied under Thomas Couture

Life/Lifestyle:
Manet was born in Paris, France, on January 23, 1832. His artist training formally began in 1850, against his father's wishes. He studied under Thomas Couture for six years, changing his style numerous times to get displayed at "the Salon" at in Paris. His earlier paintings were rather traditional and well accepted, but he continued experiment with blurred images, flat color, and radical brushwork.

His painting, Olympia was the scandal of the 1865 Salon. The crowd complained, and their dissent, in combination with Impressionist Berthe Morisot's suggestions, he painted with the Impressionists, and left Paris.

Around 1880, he fell ill, but continued to paint. During his illness, he won a second class award at the Salon show, and was listed for the Legion of Honor. He died shortly afterwards on April 30, 1883.

Style/Significance:
Édouard Manet became known as the "father of modern art."  He started the Impressionist movement. Manet rebelled against convention with his subject manner. One of his paintings, Les Dejeuner sur l'Herbe showed two men and two women in the woods. Only the woman in the foreground is nude, and she is the only nude figure in the painting. In the Salon show of 1865, the show accepted Manet's painting, Olympia. It was shocking to the public because it was a painting of a nude woman, but not in the traditional, classical look, but she was a prostitute.

Famous Pieces:
Les Dejeuner sur l'Herbe
Olympia