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Olympia by Manet
The 1863 oil on canvas painting, Olympia, by Edouard Manet (1832-83), the French modernist painter. The painting was exhibited in the 1865 Salon in Paris and shocked the art world for its presentation of a contemporary courtesan fully nude and with an unabashed stare. Her nudity is accentuated by the black choker while the black cat was a known symbol of desire. The figure is Manet’s long-time model Victorine Meurent. Manet employs several innovations: he uses unusual colours, the two figures seem to move towards the viewer, and the composition is given a certain flatness. (Musée d'Orsay, Paris)
Bibliography
- Howard, Michael. Encyclopedia of Impressionism. Thunder Bay Pr, 1997.
- Rodgers, Nigel. Manet. Lorenz Books, 2015.
- Roe, Sue. The Private Lives of the Impressionists. Harper Perennial, 2007.
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