Edouard Manet, Olympia, 1863

This piece by Manet was one of the most controversial pieces of art in Paris at the time of its debut in 1863. First, there was the subject matter. The subject is a high-class Parisian prostitute and her black female servant. The subject, Olympia, is trying to seduce the viewer. In the art world at the time, this was not appropriate. Nudity was generally reserved for figures representing mythological fables or tales. Olympia was not a goddess, or a mythological figure, she was a “real” prostitute in Paris and this shocked the public. Again, the representation of a black woman is very dark, almost blending into the black background. She wasn’t the main subject, but there to represent “primitive sexuality” and to show that Olympia was a high-class prostitute. Finally, this piece is definitely inspired by Titian’s Venus of Urbino, but critics saw it as a direct insult to the classical piece. For one, classical paintings are very precise and technical whereas Manet did not hide his brushstrokes, nor did he spend a lot of time trying to create the illusion of depth. Olympia is pale, and while she is seductive, she’s not necessarily erotic as her breasts are only implied.

















https://smarthistory.org/edouard-manet-olympia/

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