Olympia Canvas Flat Round Plate Blue Granite 250mm (Pack of 6)

Product Information

Apart from the somewhat dubious role of Manet’s maid, another notion touched on by this painting is the male gaze. Manet’s unique avant-garde approach inspired these artists to follow their own style and not the traditional conventions of academic art. However, Manet reportedly maintained his goal of exhibiting with the Salon regardless of the rejection and ridicule he underwent from his controversial paintings. Manet followed in the footsteps of painting within the Realist art style along with Gustave Courbet. Manet also inspired many new artists like Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, Paul Cézanne, Alfred Sisley, and others, all of whom were part of the new Impressionism art movement. Olympia reclines completely in the nude and her fair skin color stands out from the darker surroundings, and almost blends in with the whites on her chaise longue with hints of gold from her jewelry and accessories as well as the throw she reclines on. 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. The Salon was a famous annual (sometimes biannual) exhibition, which started in 1667. It was the main exhibition for the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture, or in French, Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture, which was started in 1648 by Charles le Brun.

Manet certainly causes a scene with his modern subject matter placed within a traditional space filled with Classical expectations. This somehow did not stop him from winning a spot in the Salon’s exhibition, even after so many ridiculed and criticized his painting; Manet is widely quoted as stating in a letter to Charles Baudelaire, “They are raining insults upon me!”. Smith, H. (13 September 2016). "Victorine Meurent: The Unvarnished Story of Manet's Muse". bonjourparis.com. Archived from the original on 2020-09-28 . Retrieved 2023-04-15.Manet’s Olympia was painted on a large canvas, measuring 130.5 by 190 centimeters. This was apparently a large format for a Genre painting of the time, as we mentioned earlier about the hierarchy of genres, History Paintings were usually done on large canvases because of their importance. We certainly see a level of confidence in her from her seemingly unwavering gaze and comfort with her nudity. The article from Sharon Flescher, titled More on a Name: Manet’s “Olympia” and the Defiant Heroine in Mid-Nineteenth-Century France (1985) suggests the term “Olympia” could have a likeness to the idea of a powerful heroic female. In Flescher’s paper, she mentions the opera Herculaneum first shown in Paris in March 1859. TOP: Olympia (1863) by Édouard Manet; Édouard Manet, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons | BOTTOM: Venus of Urbino (1538) by Titian; Titian, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Clark, T. J. (1999) The Painting of Modern Life: Paris in the Art of Manet and His Followers. Revised edition. Princeton: Princeton University Press, p.86. In Olympia Manet depicts a controversial scene of a reclining prostitute in a pose reminiscent of how goddesses were portrayed in academic paintings from the 19 th century. This sparked controversy because Manet highlighted modern life versus the mythological or Biblical scenes that were acceptable according to the art academics of the time. Manet also painted in an expressive manner, which veered away from the stylistic rules of painting that were in line with Classical Antiquity. In Olympia Manet questioned the traditionalism that was so rooted in art and he paved the way for modernism. The queen in the play was named “Olympia” and was a pagan queen sent to put a stop to the progress of Christianity. In the play, she also uses her powers to seduce the Christian Helios away from his lover. She also stands unwaveringly while Mount Vesuvius erupts, and lava approaches her.Manet’s maid was a model named Laure who also modeled for him in his other painting titled “Children in the Tuileries Garden” (1862). Another important figure in the move to Modernism was Charles Baudelaire, who was also a good friend of Manet’s. The Romans in their Decadence (1847) by Thomas Couture; Thomas Couture, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

It is important to note that during this time, art was judged according to a hierarchy of painting genres. Each genre ranked from the most “moral” subject matter to the lowest. This was about how a morally based message or story would be conveyed through the subject matter as well as how accurately the human body would be painted. Baudelaire was a French writer, poet, and art critic. He wrote several important essays around the idea of Modernism during 19 th century France, especially how it implicated artists and the development of their styles and expressions, during the artistic climate of Realism and Impressionism. This loose brushwork is a direct reflection of Impressionism and inspired many of the Impressionist artists to follow in Manet’s brushstrokes, so to say. It was a testament to the depiction of modern life and everyday scenes. Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe (Luncheon on the Grass) (1863) by Édouard Manet; Édouard Manet, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Therefore, when we look at Manet’s “Olympia”, which was exhibited in the Salon in 1865, we will understand the social and cultural context it was placed in.

A detail of A detail from Olympia (1863) by Édouard Manet, showing the loose brush strokes used by the artist; Édouard Manet, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Increase your profitability – maintain your working capital and put it to use in other more profitable ways Her left hand (our right) is placed over her genital area, her fingers resting on the top of her right upper thigh. Her legs are crossed, her left leg is over her right leg, which creates more coverage near her genital area and ironically draws more attention to it, specifically with the manner her hand is resting. However, the way her hand is placed does not appear as if she is trying to cover herself, it appears as if she is merely resting her hand in that area. With his loose brushwork, he seemingly captures this fast-paced lifestyle of the Modern world that was so deeply dissected and revered by many scholars, writers, and artists during the 19 th century. Furthermore, if we look at Manet’s Olympia painting through the lens of the Modern man at play we will have a deeper understanding of the question we posed above: what was the artist of Olympia trying to do? Manet’s expressive style of painting seemed to be inherently tied to the Modern lifestyle.