Édouard Manet

JanÉdouard Manet was born into an upper-class family in Paris on January 23, 1832.¹

Born into an affluent family, Manet was expected to join the Navy by his father. After failing the entrance exams twice, he was finally allowed to pursue an education in art.²

From 1850 to 1856, Manet studied under Thomas Couture. While Couture encouraged painting contemporary life, he was horrified by Manet's choice of lower-class subjects like 'The Absinthe Drinker.'²

Manet's style was characterized by loose brush strokes, simplification of details, and the suppression of transitional tones, serving as a major influence for future Impressionist painters.²

Manet opened his studio in 1856 and began painting modern life in a Realist style.³

Manet was one of the first 19th-century artists to paint modern life. By avoiding traditional religious or mythological subjects, he became known as a pivotal figure in modern art.²

In 'Music in the Tuileries' (1862), Manet portrayed contemporary Parisian leisure, including friends like Baudelaire and Offenbach, attempting to elevate modern life to the level of high art.²

In 1863, Napoleon III initiated the Salon des Refusés. Manet's work became the most discussed scandal of the exhibition, making his name famous throughout Paris.²

After his father's death in 1862, Manet married Suzanne Leenhoff in 1863, with whom he had been romantically involved for about ten years.¹

Manet's 'The Luncheon on the Grass' was exhibited at the Salon des Refusés in 1863, sparking significant debate.⁴

In 1863, Napoleon III ordered the formation of a Salon des Refusés due to the rejection of many submitted works.⁵

In 1863, Édouard Manet presented his controversial works, 'The Luncheon on the Grass' and 'Olympia'.¹

In 1863, Manet exhibited 'The Luncheon on the Grass' at the Salon des Refusés. Its juxtaposition of dressed men and a nude woman, along with its 'mop-like' brushwork, caused a massive scandal.²

Manet studied Old Masters at the Louvre; the composition of 'The Luncheon on the Grass' was derived from Marcantonio Raimondi's engraving after Raphael's 'Judgement of Paris.'²

His masterpiece 'Olympia' paraphrased Titian's 'Venus of Urbino,' but by depicting a modern prostitute with cold realism instead of a goddess, he shocked the art world of the time.²

Despite being attacked by the public, progressive figures like Baudelaire, Émile Zola, and Eugène Delacroix recognized Manet's innovation and became his staunch defenders.²

In 1863, Manet exhibited three paintings at the Salon des Refusés, including "Déjeuner sur l’herbe."⁵

Manet's "Olympia" was considered the most shocking work in the 1865 Salon.⁵

AugDejected by the critical response to his art, Manet traveled to Spain in August 1865.⁵

In 1867, Manet constructed a pavilion across the street from the Exposition Universelle to exhibit fifty of his works.⁵

Manet declined invitations to participate in the first Impressionist exhibition (1874) and subsequent ones, yet they influenced one another.⁵

In the summer of 1874, Manet, Monet, and Auguste Renoir painted together at Argenteuil.⁵

Manet painted the last portrait of his wife, Suzanne Leenhoff, in 1880.⁵

'A Bar at the Folies-Bergère' is a significant work created by Manet in 1882, shortly before his death.¹

AprÉdouard Manet died in Paris on April 30, 1883, at the age of 51.¹