“Olympia” by Édouard Manet shows a nude woman lying on a bed being brought flowers by a servant. Olympia’s confrontational gaze caused astonishment when the painting was first exhibited because the details in the picture identified her as a prostitute.
“Olympia” was also a name associated with prostitutes in the 1860’s Paris. Most paintings during this period of art that were this large in size and formate were for historical or mythological art, so the significant proportions of this picture on this topic was a surprise to the establishment.
Olympia is identified in the painting as a courtesan or prostitute. The identification is made with the symbols of the orchid in her hair, her bracelet, the pearl earrings, and her oriental shawl.
The black ribbon around her neck is in stark contrast with her pale skin, reinforcing wealth, and sensuality.
This painting was inspired by Titian’s “Venus of Urbino” from 1538, which in turn refers to Giorgione’s “Sleeping Venus” from 1510.
There were also pictorial precedents for a nude woman, attended by a black servant, by Ingres and other historical painters.
This painting was different and groundbreaking as Manet did not depict a goddess or an odalisque but a high-class prostitute waiting for a client.
Édouard Manet
Édouard Manet (1832 – 1883) was one of the first 19th-century artists to paint modern life and was a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism.
His early masterpieces caused much controversy and served as an influence for the young painters who would create Impressionism.
In the last two decades of Manet’s life, he developed a style that had a significant impact on future painters.
Olympia
- Title: Olympia
- Artist: Édouard Manet
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Date: 1863
- Dimensions: H: 1,300 mm (51.18 in). W: 1,900 mm (74.8 in).
- Museum: Musée d’Orsay
Édouard Manet
- Name: Édouard Manet
- Born: 1832 – Paris, France
- Died: 1883 (aged 51) – Paris, France
- Nationality: French
- Notable works:
- Olympia
- A Bar at the Folies-Bergère
- In the Conservatory
- The Balcony
- Spring
- Nana
A Tour of the Musée d’Orsay
- “The Starry Night Over the Rhône” by Vincent van Gogh
- “A Cart on the Snowy Road at Honfleur” by Claude Monet
- “The Basin at Argenteuil” by Claude Monet
- “Farmyard in Normandy” by Claude Monet
- “Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette” by Pierre-Auguste Renoir
- “Olympia” by Édouard Manet
- “Whistler’s Mother” by James McNeill Whistler
- “The Quai Saint-Michel and Notre-Dame” by Maximilien Luce
- The Balcony by Édouard Manet
- Country Dance by Pierre-Auguste Renoir
- The Cock Fight by Jean-Léon Gérôme
- “London, Houses of Parliament. The Sun Shining through the Fog” by Claude Monet
- “La Gare Saint-Lazare” by Claude Monet
- “The Seine and Notre-Dame in Paris” by Johan Jongkind
- “Blue Water Lilies” by Claude Monet
- “The Circus” by Georges Seurat
- Dancers by Pierre Bonnard
- “The Ball” by James Tissot
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“One who fears to suffer,
suffers from fear.”
– French Proverb
~~~
Photo Credit: Édouard Manet [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
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