A LOOK AT

Manet's Paintings

the life and art of manet

Édouard Manet’s paintings have long been connected with the French Impressionists; he was undoubtedly a major influencer on them, and he learned a great deal from them in return.  Nevertheless, in recent times, experts have recognized that he also learned from his French counterparts’ Naturalism and Realism, as well as 17th-century Spanish art.

early years

Édouard Manet was born to a wealthy and well-connected household. On the recommendation of his uncle, Manet joined a specialized sketching class in 1845, when he met Antonin Proust.

career

Manet established a studio in 1856. During this time, his approach was defined by fluid brushstrokes, the reduction of features, and the rejection of transitory tones.

career

The Impressionists, particularly Morisot and Monet, impacted him. Their impact may be seen in Manet’s use of lighter shades: from the early 1870s, he used fewer dark backgrounds but preserved his unique use of black.

later works

Manet created several small-scale still lifes of vegetables and fruits in his latter years. Un Bar aux Folies-Bergère, his final significant piece, was created in 1882 and shown in the Salon that year.

death

His left foot was removed in April 1883 owing to gangrene caused by rheumatism. On the 30th of April, he died in Paris. His body was laid to rest in the city’s Passy Cemetery.

techniques

Manet is attributed for promoting the alla prima painting method. Rather than layering colors, Manet would instantly lay down the hue that best suited the final impact he desired.

influential works

Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe (1863) is a significant early work. In 1863, the Paris Salon denied it for display, but Manet consented to show it at the Salon des Refusés as an unofficial exposition.

influential works

In Olympia (1863), Manet imitated a celebrated Renaissance artist’s oeuvre. Only the administration’s safeguards stopped the artwork from being pierced and ripped” by upset onlookers.

cafê scenes

Manet’s paintings of café settings are reflections of 19th-century Parisian human society. People are shown sipping beers, enjoying music, mingling, reading, and resting. Many of these works were inspired by drawings done on the spot.

social activity works

Manet depicted the upper class participating in more traditional social events. Manet depicts a vibrant mass of individuals celebrating a party in Masked Ball at the Opera (1873).

paintings about war

Manet’s answer to contemporary civilization includes works about conflict, which may be considered as updated versions of the category of “paintings.”

parisian paintings

In his paintings, Manet painted various sights from Paris’s streets. The Rue Mosnier Decked with Flags (1878) displays white, red, and blue flags adorning houses along the avenue.

legacy

Manet was a forerunner, together with Courbet, in rejecting humanist and historic topics, and he and Degas were instrumental in establishing modern urban life as a suitable material for “great art.”

famous works

Some of Manet's most famous works include Le Dejeuner sur l’Herbe (1863), Olympia (1863), Boating (1874), and A Bar at the Folies-Bergere (1882).