Edouard Manet is a direction in art. The most famous paintings of Manet

Edouard (Edouard) Manet (French Édouard Manet; January 23, 1832, Paris - April 30, 1883, Paris) - french painter, engraver, one of the founders of impressionism.

Biography of Edouard Manet

Edouard Manet was born in Paris on January 23, 1832 into a fairly respectable family. The father of the future artist, Auguste Manet, served in the Ministry of Justice, and his mother was the daughter of a diplomat.

The father violently opposed his son's desire to study as an artist. In the end, the maritime service was chosen as the field for his future career. But the young man failed the entrance exams to the naval school. Once out of work, he got a job as a cabin boy on a merchant ship. In December 1848, the newly minted cabin boy was on board a sailboat bound for Rio de Janeiro.

Returning to France, Edouard was finally able to overcome his father's persistent dislike for art. The rebellious spirit made him look for not quite ordinary ways in life.

Instead of entering the School of Fine Arts, like others who dream of an artistic vocation, (Father Manet insisted on this), he went to study at the workshop of Thomas Couture, who shortly before thundered at the Salon of 1847 with his painting “The Romans of the Decline” depicting antique orgy. The young man was attracted by this scandalous fame. He completed a full six-year course of study with Couture (1850-1856), but all this time the relationship between teacher and student left much to be desired. Manet was clearly bored in the Couture workshop.

The death of his father, which followed in the same year, freed the artist from many of the restrictions that fettered his life. The inheritance he received now allowed him not to think about how to earn a living. Under these conditions, Manet felt free enough to live and write as he wanted. The consequences of this showed up very quickly. His new painting "Breakfast on the Grass".

By the end of the 1860s, Manet had acquired an ambiguous reputation. Many considered him to be some kind of fiend - while it was well-mannered person with impeccable manners. Manet's paintings exhibited at the Salon continued to be attacked by critics, and his personal exhibition, organized as part of the World Exhibition in Paris in 1867, was simply booed. It was in these discussions that fundamental principles impressionism.

But the Franco-Prussian war that began in 1870 forced him to forget about painting for a while. Manet entered the artillery with the rank of lieutenant.

After the war, the “Manet gang”, as the inhabitants of art called the “Batignolles” artists, gathered again in Paris.

Manet supported the Impressionists, but never exhibited with them, believing that the battle for modern Art should be deployed only within the framework of the official Salon. However, this did not prevent him from adopting some purely impressionistic writing techniques.

In 1874 he went to Argenteuil, where he worked en plein air hand in hand with Monet and Renoir. Traces of all this are easily found in his works of that time.

In 1879, Manet developed formidable signs of ataxia, in which, due to brain damage, coordination of movements is disturbed. A little later he could no longer write. Ironically, it was during these years that the long-awaited recognition came to the artist.

In 1881 he received the medal of the Salon, and a little later he was awarded the order Legion of Honor.

In the spring of 1883, Manet was amputated left leg. The operation was unsuccessful, and soon Manet died. It happened on April 30, just before the opening of the next Salon.

Creativity Manet

Since the mid-50s, Manet began to create his own original works, whose heroes were regulars of Parisian cafes, passers-by.

Manet's characteristic compositional technique was an unexpected cut of the picture with a frame, cropping the image. Such a technique introduced an element of instability and dynamics into the composition.

At the same time, Manet struggled with the traditional academic style of writing and, retreating from the soft modeling of the form, sculpted it with fresh, expressive strokes.

The sketch "Zucchini", dating back to the end of the 70s, demonstrates the intensity and richness of the artist's colored underpainting.

Degas, Pissarro, Claude Monet, Renoir and Sisley began to group around Manet. They were impressed not only by Manet's innovation, but also by his professionalism, education, deep knowledge in the field of the history of painting, mastery of all the techniques of painting and graphic technique.

In 1863, Manet exhibited his painting "Luncheon on the Grass" in the famous "Salon of the Rejected", its content and unusualness. painting technique aroused public outrage. From that moment on, Manet became the recognized leader of "independent" artists.

The painting "Breakfast on the Grass" was followed by "Olympia", where the model Victorina Meran was depicted naked on a bed. The painting was accepted into the salon in 1865, but suffered the same fate as Luncheon on the Grass.

The Luncheon on the Grass Olympia A Bar at the Folies-Bergere

In these works, Manet claimed the right to depict his contemporaries in painting without any idealization, thereby opening new topic for Renoir, Degas, Pissarro and other artists who strove for a truthful recreation of reality.

Protector and connoisseur creative method E. Manet found in the face of the young Emile Zola. The writer was the first to recognize the importance of art talented artist for future development European painting and repeatedly spoke with the analysis of the work of E. Manet in the press. Zola understood the unfairness of attacks on Manet's paintings by the public and salon painters, predicting that they would eventually be exhibited in the Louvre.

In 1873, Manet presented to the jury of the salon the painting "Over a glass of beer", traditional both in the interpretation of the plot and in the manner of writing.

This controversial painter spent his whole life striving to create a new "big" style in modern painting. Despite the attacks and reproaches art critics, and his Impressionist friends, Manet stubbornly continued to exhibit alone.

In 1882, he completed one of the most significant works in European painting of the 70s-80s of the last century, Bar in the Folies Bergère, for which he was awarded the Order of the Legion of Honor. Recognition has already come to the terminally ill artist.

Not considering himself an impressionist and refusing to participate in the exhibitions of this association, Manet nevertheless gave impetus to impressionism, becoming his inspiration.

In the 50s-60s of the 19th century, future impressionists focused on his original creative manner. But unlike them, Manet always strove to create a picture in which the main place belongs to man.

Artist's work

• Olympia
• plums
• Horse racing in the Bois de Boulogne
• Spanish singer

Name: Edouard Manet

Age: 51 years old

Activity: artist, one of the founders of impressionism

Family status: was married

Edouard Manet: biography

Throughout his life, the paintings of the founder of impressionism, Edouard Manet, who freed painting from the shackles of academic standards, were criticized. The engraver's contemporaries, bogged down in the inertia and conservatism of generally accepted norms, admired works written in accordance with artistic canons, blaming those who tried to bring something new to art.

Due to the fact that the public for a long time did not understand and did not accept works that reflected the artist’s personal worldview, the first official exhibition of the community, which, in addition to Manet, included the notorious Camille Pissarro, Pierre Renoir, Frederic Bazille and was marked by failure.

Childhood and youth

On January 23, 1832, in Paris, the head of the Ministry of Justice, Auguste Manet, and his wife Eugenie-Desire Fournier, the daughter of a diplomat, had a son, who was named Edward. The Impressionist's parents hoped that hot beloved child will receive a prestigious legal education and make a brilliant career as a government official.

In 1839 they gave their offspring to the boarding school of the abbot Poialu. Due to the absolute indifference to study, Auguste transferred the heir to Rollin College, where he studied from 1844 to 1848. Despite Manet's great desire to become a painter, his father was against his son, violating family tradition, he preferred creative self-realization to stable work.

It is not known what the fate of the impressionist would have been if the mother's brother Edmond-Edouard Fournier, who saw in Edward a craving for art, did not pay for his nephew to attend a course of lectures on painting, which the boy went to after school.

Because of the academic standards, which teachers, devoid of figurative thought, considered the basis of the artist's artistic identity, drawing lessons did not arouse the expected interest in Manet. He preferred painting portraits of his comrades to copying plaster sculptures.

Realizing that the son, even under pain of death, will not connect life with routine public service, Auguste chose the lesser of two evils, allowing the offspring to take up navigation. In December 1848, Edward boarded the ship as a cabin boy. Traveling across the Atlantic and staying in Rio de Janeiro turned his world upside down.

Born under the smoky sky of Paris and brought up in a bourgeois environment, the guy discovered the beauty of the sunny expanses and the radiance of the colors of the reality around him. Manet realized that he wanted to master the skill of transferring what he saw in real life to canvas to perfection. When on June 13, 1849, an ambitious young man descended the ladder to the French coast, his travel suitcase was full of pencil sketches.

After the cruise, from 1850 to 1856 he studied painting in the studio of the then popular artist Thomas Couture. However, strong antagonism immediately manifested itself in these studies: it is difficult to find something more incompatible than Manet's desire for living art and Couture's worship of genre and stylistic canons of drawing.

The only advantage was that it was in the workshop of Tom, who demanded that his students study the old masters, that the creator of the painting “Lola from Valencia” discovered the classical heritage. Leaving the routine art school, 24-year-old Eduard took up self-education. In addition to regularly visiting the Louvre, he often traveled to the museums of Italy, Germany, Austria, Holland, Spain, after visiting which, like any aspiring artist, he copied the works of the great masters -, and.

Painting

At the beginning creative way every artist who wanted to gain popularity had to exhibit at the official exhibition of the Paris Academy of Fine Arts. Manet submitted his paintings to the jury many times, but that was too conservative to exhibit his work.

In 1859, together with friends, he tried to exhibit his canvases at the biennial Salon. Then his creation "Absinthe Lover" was rejected. However, in 1861, critics favorably accepted two other works of Edward - "Portrait of Parents" and "Guitarero".

In the early 60s, Manet's works were dominated by marine and Spanish motifs ("Lola from Valencia", "Kirsaja", "Spanish Ballet", "Alabama"), plein air scenes ("Running in Long Shan"), themes modern history(“The shooting of Emperor Maximilian”), as well as religious subjects (“Dead Christ”).

In 1863, Emperor Louis Napoleon ordered that the rejected works of the official Salon be exhibited at the nearby Palais des Industries. This parallel exhibition was called the Salon of the Rejected. The true center of attraction was Edward's painting "Breakfast on the Grass".

It was followed by "Olympia", in which the model Victorine Meran was depicted naked on a bed.

In the following decade, Manet showed his associates a brilliant example of creative energy. He painted portraits, flower still lifes and scenes at the races. If something happened somewhere an important event, he went there and portrayed him.

In the 70s, the painter created his brightest works: “ Railway”, “In the boat” and “Argenteuil”. A reflection of his heavy thoughts, inspired by illness, is the painting "Suicide" painted in 1881.

Personal life

In 1849, Susanna appeared in the life of the artist. The woman with whom the painter fell in love at first sight worked as a teacher and taught piano writing to the younger brothers of the author of the painting "Nana" - Eugene (1833-1892) and Gustave (1835-1884).

In January 1852, Susanna gave birth to a son, who was named Leon. It is noteworthy that paternity was not attributed to Manet, but to a certain Coell. Edward became godfather newborn. Biographers studying the life and work of the eminent impressionist, to this day, cannot give an exact answer about the relationship between Leon and Edward.

There are two official theories on this score: the first one says that the real father of the boy was Auguste Manet, who laid eyes on the twenty-year-old teacher even at the moment she appeared in their house. Supporters of the second version suggest that Leon is the son of Edward, whom the painter, who was afraid of condemnation and censure, did not want to recognize.

It is noteworthy that the portrait painter did not make his relationship with Susanna public until the wedding. During secret romance the engraver replenished his amorous piggy bank with a couple of names.

It is known that the artist had an affair with the model Quiz Meran. The girl captivated the painter with her natural beauty and the fact that, thanks to her natural artistry, she easily changed images. Their love story ended when Quiz became addicted to alcohol, and there was no trace of her former charm.

11 years after the birth of Leon, on October 28, 1863, the impressionist married Suzanne. After the wedding ceremony, the young lady began to live with her husband, his mother and son under the same roof.

It is known that Maneregularly cheated on his wife, who, by the way, was aware of his frequent intrigues. Even before the wedding, the lovers entered into an unspoken agreement between themselves: Suzanne did not throw tantrums to her chosen one about his novels, and Edward, in turn, did not stay overnight with his mistresses and returned home every evening, continuing to play the role of a faithful husband and loving father.

In 1868, at the Louvre, the creator of the Olympia and Luncheon on the Grass masterpieces met the artist Berthe Morisot. Impressed by the original beauty of a woman, he persuaded her to pose at the first meeting.

IN total Edward painted at least 10 portraits of Bertha (“Balcony”, “Rest. Portrait of Berthe Morisot”, “Portrait of Berthe Morisot with a bouquet of violets”, “Berthe Morisot with a fan”). Despite their mutual attraction, there could be nothing between them but friendship. At the time of their meeting, Manet was already bound by marriage. Bertha had to let go of caustic remarks in the direction of the artist's wife and be content with their common passion for painting with Edward.

Death

In 1879, Manet developed formidable signs of ataxia, a disease in which coordination of movements is impaired due to brain damage. Edward received official recognition a year before his death. In 1882, the painter completed one of the most significant works in European painting of the 70s-80s of the last century - "The Bar at the Folies-Bergere", for which he was awarded the Order of the Legion of Honor.

Manet died eleven days after the amputation of a gangrenous leg on April 30, 1883. The grave of the creator of the painting, written under the influence of Frans Hals and Diego Velázquez - "Music in the Tuileries" - is located in the Passy cemetery in Paris.

At the funeral ceremony of farewell, in addition to relatives, there were friends of the impressionist - Edgar Degas and Pierre Renoir.

Artworks

• 1859 - "Cherry Boy"
• 1864 - Races at Longchamp
• 1864 - "Cut white peonies and secateurs"
• 1867 - "Olympia"
• 1868 - "Execution of Emperor Maximilian"
• 1869 - Balcony
• 1874 - "Argenteuil"
• 1874 - "The Bank of the Seine near Argenteuil"
• 1877 - "Suicide"
• 1878 - Reichshoffen Cabaret
• 1880 - "In the cafe-chantan"
• 1882 - "Bar in the Folies Bergère"
• 1881 - "Spring"
• 1882 - "Portrait of Madame Michel-Levy"
• 1883 - Lilac Bouquet

Encyclopedic YouTube

1 / 5

✪ Manet, "Breakfast on the Grass"

✪ My Pushkinsky, issue 33 - Rebellious Manet

✪ Edouard Manet "Zucchini"

✪ EDOUARD MANET. "Desecration of Christ". bible story

✪ Claude Monet

Subtitles

We are in the Musée d'Orsay, and in front of us is the famous painting by Edouard Manet "Breakfast on the Grass". This painting was exhibited in the so-called Salon des Les Misérables in 1863. The painting was not allowed to be exhibited at an official exhibition. And so it was. In fact, in that year, so many artists were not allowed to the exhibition, that on the initiative of Emperor Napoleon III, the Salon of the Rejected was created. And all the attention of critics in the Salon of the Outcasts was drawn to this particular picture. In this picture, a certain mockery is felt: the author seems to be trying to break all existing rules. I mean, the picture violates the formal rules: compositional and plot. The plot was borrowed from an engraving based on Raphael. The tapestry itself, created by Raphael, was lost. Thus, the composition was borrowed from a traditional source. And the semantic content is the image of a naked woman among dressed men against the background of an idyllic landscape - was borrowed from the work of Giorgione. The thing is, this is not Venice. And the context is not classical. The problem is that this is modern France, quite possibly, the action takes place in the Bois de Boulogne. And a naked woman is not only not a goddess, but a recognizable character, Manet's model, Quiz Myoran. And she looks like a completely normal person that you can meet on the streets of Paris, just not naked. Moreover, she looks directly at us. I mean, she even, in a sense, makes you feel embarrassed when she looks directly at the viewer. The men who sit next to her are fully clothed and they are not looking at the woman or at us. There is a certain acceptance of sexuality, the separation of the sexes, but not in the classical sense. At the same time, the picture seems completely devoid of sexuality. On the other hand, there are elements hinting at sensuality and sexuality. In the lower left corner is a very sensual still life of fruit, bread and a bottle of some kind of alcoholic drink. All this lies on top of the clothes that the woman threw off. Initially this picture called "Bathing". She is not a nymph who lives in a mythical forest and never wears clothes, she is modern woman taking off her clothes. She is not naked, she is naked. The picture breaks many plot rules. The author also neglects numerous rules in regard to the method of creating a picture. Take a look at the very bright body this woman, she is so bright, her figure is so well-defined… Or rather, even surrounded by dark tones. So it looks a little flattened, doesn't it? - Yes. - And there is no internal tone modulation that we are used to seeing in similar works of the 19th century. To viewers, it seems almost two-dimensional. Moreover, in other areas, Manet violates the rules that naturalists must follow. Look at the very dark ribbon in the woman's hair, her black hair blending into dark color bushes behind her. This is a kind of violation of space. In fact, the distance to the Woman emerging from the water in the background is not felt at all ... The second female figure. She seems too big, right? Especially since her hands, which seem so small from a distance, almost touch the fingers of the man's hand. And this is a terrible discrepancy. And violation of spatial norms. Violation of scale and violation of the rules of illusoryness, which Manet seeks to destroy. He seems to go against the rules set by the Academy on purpose. And at the same time, the beauty of the picture is felt in everything: these colors, very free and sensual brush strokes, especially in the image of the woman’s blue robe, and in the still life, as well as in the gray and white colors of the men’s trousers. Manet drew attention to masters such as Velazquez, for whom the brush was unimaginably important. For him, it is important not only what the viewer sees in the picture, but also that the viewer understands by what means this is achieved. The fact that we see the strokes themselves does not give us the perfect illusion that has been the basis of Western painting since the Renaissance. Another one unusual thing in this painting - the use of the technique of Velasquez, the technique of free brush strokes. But the image of the background gives the impression that the paint has been heavily diluted, very reminiscent of a mortar or stain, especially in the image of trees and a field behind a female figure. On the other hand, there are lumps of paint on the trees. So the artist uses various techniques paint work. In a way, it destroys all our expectations of art. It reminds me of Baudelaire, image talk modern life, Image Of Modern Nude. Let's forget about Venus. We don't live in Ancient Greece. Let's create modern painting. Where can we find female nudity? Manet raises the topic of contemporary female nudity. In a sense, this highlights the absurdity of the classical traditions, the absurdity with which we covered the nudity for the sake of tradition. Manet asks if that makes any sense. The illogicality of this picture, the way it presses on social norms, speaks of how meaningless for the author is the art that we readily accept. Exactly. Subtitles by the Amara.org community

Youth

Édouard Manet was born at 5 rue Bonaparte in the Parisian district of Saint-Germain-des-Prés to Auguste Manet, head of a department in the Ministry of Justice, and Eugenie-Desire Fournier, daughter of a French diplomat who was consul in Gothenburg. The Swedish king Charles XIII was the godfather of Manet's mother. In 1839, Manet was sent to study at the boarding school of Abbé Pualu, then, due to absolute indifference to studies, he was transferred by his father “to full board” to Rollin College, where he studied from 1844 to 1848, also without showing any success.

Despite Manet's great desire to become a painter, his father, who prophesied his son a career as a lawyer, ardently opposed his art education. However, his mother's brother, Edmond-Edouard Fournier, realizing the boy's artistic vocation, advised him to attend special lectures on painting, for which he himself signed up his nephew and personally paid for attendance. Thanks to Uncle Edmond, who regularly took the boy to museums, Manet discovered the Louvre, which had a decisive influence on his personal and creative life. Oddly enough, drawing lessons did not arouse the expected interest in Manet, largely due to the academic nature of teaching, and the boy preferred drawing portraits of his comrades to copying plaster sculptures, which soon became an example for many of his classmates.

Travel to Brazil

In 1848, after finishing his studies, the young Manet faced strong opposition from his father to his plans to become an artist. A kind of compromise was found when Manet decided to enter a nautical school in 1847, however, he failed miserably in the entrance exams (Manet's general lack of education affected). However, as a preparation for re-examinations, he was allowed to go on a training voyage on the sailing vessel Le Havre and Guadeloupe.

During the journey, the sailboat, in particular, visited Brazil. Exotic and rich colors tropical countries only increased Manet's desire to learn pictorial art- from the trip Eduard brought a large number of drawings, sketches and studies. He often used team members as models.

From this trip, Manet left numerous letters to relatives, in which he described his impressions of the carnival in Rio and the exotic beauty of Brazilian women. On the other hand, he critically assessed slavery and the possible restoration of the monarchy in France. Manet's subsequent works are one tenth of seascapes, and this does not last role played it cruise to Brazil.

Formation

In 1856-58, Manet becomes known as a promising artist, he is invited to various salons, where he meets the highest circle of Parisian society. Particularly warm relations Manet ties with French poet Charles Baudelaire. Together with Count Albert de Balleroi, the artist rents a room for a studio on rue Lavoisier. Every day the young artist visits the Louvre, makes copies famous paintings and always trying to get the approval of Couture: the desire for recognition was inherent in Manet from an early age.

Manet protests against the portraits, illuminated by sparklers, on the forehead of which the stars of fake jewelry are burning, in their hands is a silver rod.
De Banville, review of Manet's painting "Le Bon Bock" (translated from French by T. M. Pakhomova).

Salon

Before I start conquering official salons, I must pay tribute to the old masters.
Edward Mane.

In 1859, Manet decided that his art education was complete and decided to exhibit at the Paris Salon, the prestigious annual Parisian exhibition. The artist had high hopes for a realistic (somewhat similar to the work of Baudelaire) painting "The Absinthe Drinker". He again asked the opinion of Couture, and when he Once again spoke negatively about his creation, Manet finally broke with the teacher. Soon followed new tragedy: Alexander hanged himself, a boy who helped Manet in the workshop and became the character of his painting “Boy with Cherries”. Soon the artist learned that the salon jury had rejected The Absinthe Drinker (of all the members of the jury, only Delacroix voted for the painting, Manet's teacher, Couture, voted against it). The salon's rejection of the painting was fully justified: the very theme of the painting was unusual - a realistic and unadorned portrait of a drunkard, and not an allegory generated by the artist's imagination. There are also no long-range plans here, while before Manet, classical perspective was used, which gave depth to the paintings. The edge of the table on which the glass stands is not consistent with the perspective. The shadow of the figure does not correspond to its position. Manet does not use halftones, only light chiaroscuro emphasizes the convexity of the figure. The fiasco knocked Manet off his individual path for a while: he could hardly find interesting stories, some elements frankly borrowed from famous artists.

However, Edward soon finds new plot For future picture. They were served by the city's Tuileries Garden, where on weekends the Parisian bohemia gathered for walks and small talk. Now the artist resolutely rejected all the advice of Couture, which allowed him to easily and naturally depict a meeting of people. The thematic and technical novelty of the painting again caused surprise and misunderstanding of those close to Manet. Such scenes of nature were perceived as paintings, intended only for illustrations of magazines and reports. Manet abandoned the academic technique of "carefully finishing" a painting, in which it did not matter whether the painting was viewed from close or far. With this approach, the part of the canvas seen from a close distance is nothing more than an enlarged detail of a distant view. In Music in the Tuileries Garden, on the other hand, faces viewed from a close distance become almost abstract forms. Similarity is achieved only when the picture is viewed from a certain distance.

Despite careful selection, in 1861 both paintings by Manet (“Portrait of Parents” and “Guitarrero”) were accepted by the jury of the salon, and the latter even received an award. The public also spoke very favorably about the creations of the young artist. The recognition of the salon brought fame and money to the artist, but the recognition of his father was also important for Eduard, who, even before the salon, proudly showed the guests of his house the work of his son, depicting the elderly Manet couple.

Once again, Manet changes his workshop - now it is located in the western part of the Batignolles quarter. At the same time, one of the organizers of the salon, Louis Martinet, realizing the difficulties for young artists to be recognized at the salon, organized an alternative exhibition, among the paintings of which were Manet's creations: "Boy with Cherries", "Reading" and the recognized "Guitarrero". The artist is already thinking about the next salon and, counting on this, he paints the painting “The Old Musician”, good in terms of performance, but obviously weak in building composition. Reflecting on the next proposal to the salon, Manet again turns to etching. Being in constant search, he begins to write the next picture "Street Singer", the model for which was Quiz-Louise Meran, a young provincial who tried to get out of poverty by any means. Soon, the artist and the model began to connect not only creative ties, but also intimate ones. Rumors spread throughout Paris, but Susanna didn't know or show anything.

In search of a "monumental" canvas for the next exhibition, Manet decides to paint a picture depicting a nude. The composition was inspired by the engraving of Marc-Antonio Raimondi from the Raphael composition "The Judgment of Paris". Bathing was nominated by the jury along with the less significant Young Woman in an Espada Costume and Young Man in a Maho Costume. At the same time, Manet agrees with Martine on the organization of the exhibition - it will include the best of his other canvases, among which will be “Music at the Tuileries” and “Old Musician”, “Gitanos” and “Spanish Ballet”, “Street Singer” and “Lola from Valencia» . The exhibition was supposed to rekindle the interest of the audience just on the eve of the opening salon. However, the paintings met with the complete rejection of the public and Manet's senior colleagues in the shop. The jury of the Salon of 1863 also rejected all three paintings submitted by Manet. True, not only Manet suffered such a fate: 2800 paintings were rejected. The offended artists turned to Martina with a request to hold the exhibition without the jury's editorial board.

At first, Martinet did not dare to make such a frank impudence and was afraid to open a salon, but the intervention of Emperor Napoleon III forced him to hold an exhibition, which immediately became known as “The Salon of the Outcasts”. Manet's painting "Breakfast on the Grass", on which the artist had the greatest hopes, was criticized and caused laughter among the salon's visitors. At the same time, the picture evoked the most great attention, subsequently becoming a symbol of the Salon of the Rejected in 1863. Mane attracts notoriety, although he did not aspire to it.

Having failed with "Breakfast", Manet does not abandon the idea of ​​depicting a naked female body. He soon began writing new painting, inspired by Titian's painting "Venus of Urbino". However, the picture aroused doubts in him, and instead the artist sent for consideration by the salon “The Bullfighting Episode” and the religious composition “Dead Christ with Angels”.

In and 1864, Manet exhibited both in the Salon des Misérables and in the official salon, where his new paintings, especially Luncheon on the Grass, aroused sharp indignation from critics. The peak of rejection falls on 1865, when Manet exhibited his (now famous) Olympia in the salon - a painting found by his contemporaries to be extremely obscene and vulgar and provoked a grandiose scandal at that time.

The persecution of Manet by art officials and the “enlightened public” forced the artist to literally flee to Spain, where, however, he spent time with benefit, getting acquainted with the works of El Greco, Velazquez and Goya, finding in them a justification for his aesthetic taste.

Since that time, Manet, regularly rejected by the jury of the salons, is moving closer to a group of young artists who will soon be called impressionists. Claude Monet, Paul Cezanne and Edgar Degas become friends and followers for the author of Olympia.

In 1867, at the Universal Exhibition held in Paris, Manet created his own pavilion near the bridge Alma. Exhibited fifty works - best paintings created over ten years of creativity. Perhaps it was this decisive step that led to the fact that his work was accepted at the next two salons. Be that as it may, the artist resolutely goes his own way.

In 1869, Manet met the young artist Eva Gonzalez, whom he offered to pose for a portrait. Eva Gonzalez was Manet's only student.

Batignolles group

After returning from Spain, Manet again starts painting, despite rumors that no matter how good the next work of the artist is, the jury of the Salon will still reject it. At this time, for Manet, the support provided by his friends and fans was especially valuable. Often buying canvases and paints in a store on the Grand rue de Batignolles, Manet soon became a regular at the nearby cafe   Guerbois, among which the regulars were both unknown writers and artists, as well as the already famous Fantin-Latour, Whistler, Duranty, Degas, Renoir, Monet, Pissarro. Emile Zola stands apart - an ardent supporter of Manet's work, an ardent defender of his painting. According to contemporaries, Manet was the recognized authority of this group, however, this informal meeting was quite liberal, its participants were not afraid to criticize Manet. True, there were some incidents: reproaches and harsh criticism from Duranty forced Manet to challenge the latter to a duel, which took place, leading to the injury of the offender. Despite this fact, Duranty and Manet reconciled, considering what had happened a misunderstanding, and remained good friends until Edward's death.

Rapprochement with the Impressionists

During the siege of Paris in 1870, Manet, as a staunch Republican, remained in the capital. After the Franco-Prussian War and the Paris Commune, the artist became even closer to the young Impressionists. This is evidenced, for example, by numerous paintings painted en plein air, side by side with Claude Monet at Argenteuil in 1874. However, Manet did not want to participate in exhibitions of Impressionist groups. He preferred to achieve recognition by the jury of the official Salons at any cost. Another hype around his name arose in 1874. "Railroad" again caused sharp antipathy of the jury. And only in 1879 did the Salon appreciate the artist’s perseverance: Manet’s canvases “In the Orangery” and “In the Boat” were received very warmly.

Last years

Manet's rejection of the system established in France, led by Napoleon, results in his painting The Execution of the Emperor Maximilian - a story about the execution of a protege of the French government in Mexico. Manet could not exhibit this picture in the barracks built by him, following the example of Courbet, near the Alma bridge, among others, due to the strongest political resonance.

Since 1868, during the collapse of the Empire, none of the official salons brought fame and creative satisfaction to Manet. The attacks of critics and the rejection of the artist's work by the bourgeois public continued.

Color, - said Manet, - is a matter of taste and sensation, but you need to have something else behind your soul, something that you want to express - without this, everything loses its meaning!
From the memoirs of Jeannio (translated from French by T. M. Pakhomova).

Franco-Prussian War

The summer of 1870 marks the climax of the Franco-Prussian war started by Napoleon III. The imperial regime collapsed in the early autumn of 1870, a republic was declared in France, but hostilities continued on a grand scale. Édouard Manet sends his relatives to the south of France to Oloron-Sainte-Marie. The artist himself, fully sharing the fate of his compatriots, joins the army together with many colleagues and participates in the defense of Paris. Fortunately, he managed to survive during the fighting. In February 1871, he leaves Paris, and a few days later he learns of the surrender of the French government. Even in such a difficult time for him, Manet does not stop working - for example, in Bordeaux he paints a landscape of the port.

Some time later, after the announcement of the Paris Commune, Manet was included in the preparatory council of the newly created Federation of Artists, but he himself was far from politics. Serious shocks and hardships forced the painter to take a break in his work for almost a year.

After settling in a new workshop in 1873, Edouard Manet writes his famous painting“Over a glass of beer” (“Le Bon Bock”), and for the first time in almost 15 years, is a huge success. This, however, did not lead to the transformation of Manet into a fashionable opportunistic artist (which Courbet partly became after some successes at the Salon) - in 1874 the jury rejected his Masquerade Ball at the Opera. In 1876, the jury of the Salon rejected both paintings by Manet. Independent joint exhibitions brought nothing but censure of the public and mockery of criticism.

However, starting already in 1874, Manet is fully developing his own original style, whose features in many respects bring him closer to the then young Impressionist movement (in this regard, it is also worth noting Manet's friendship with Degas, one of the key figures of the Impressionist movement).

Late period

Beginning in 1877, Manet's painting showed a desire for still lifes and portraits. The influence of Velasquez's work on Edward is especially clearly visible. Gradually, the artist gains recognition. Since 1879, his authority in the eyes of art critics has been growing, his paintings have been accepted by salons. On one of them, Manet is awarded a medal for second place, which gives him the opportunity to exhibit, bypassing the selection of the jury.

On the day when they want to describe the conquests or defeats french painting XIX century, it will be possible to neglect Cabanel, but it will be impossible not to reckon with Manet.
Castagnari, 1875 (translated from French by T. M. Pakhomova).

However, the work of Edouard Manet was not fully recognized until the 1890s. Only then did his paintings begin to be acquired in private and state meetings(“Olympia” was practically imposed on the Louvre by Edward’s friends, who bought it by public subscription in

Art and design

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A strict father (no wonder he headed the department of the French Ministry of Justice) Auguste Manet forbade his son to paint - he wanted his son to continue his work and become a lawyer. But contrary to the wishes of the family despot, Edward became famous artist, one of prominent representatives impressionism. Most famous paintings Manet is adorned by the Louvre, Berlin museums and other famous collections of paintings.

Master's still lifes

The Louvre houses one of these masterpieces with simple name"White peonies". Already in this work, the characteristic manner of the Frenchman is manifested - broad strokes, a restrained palette. A pair of lush flowers on a dark background - and nothing more, but how alive!

At the beginning of a career, after enriching inner world the future genius of the brush travel to Brazil, Edouard Manet wrote mainly landscapes and still lifes. He returned to them at the end of his life. "Still Life with Salmon" refers to 1969. The painter was a famous gourmet - like many of his compatriots. You look at such works - and the saliva flows!

These alluring female images

Not only "dead nature" attracted the master, but also portraits. One of them is Madame Manet on a blue sofa. Dutch Susanna Leenhof was a music teacher at younger brothers artist. They say that the head of the family, Auguste, was carried away by the girl. Edward himself was also crazy about Suzanne, their romance lasted almost a decade. After the death of the priest, Manet was able to marry the chosen one. She is the mother of his son Leon and his favorite model.

Lola from Valencia is another of Manet's most famous paintings. The squat Spaniard is depicted by Manet against the backstage. Here he very carefully writes out all the details - both the appearance of the most posing woman and her intricate outfit. Each fold of clothing, patterned curve and glitter of jewelry - everything in this portrait plays its own special role.

A completely different mood is conveyed in the image of the dressing lady of the demimonde - "Nana". The morning of a representative of the most ancient profession begins with the usual toilet, she is still in negligee (in a corset and shirt). The noisy evening is still far away, and a vague smile wanders on the devil's face. A certain Henrietta, who became famous for her love affairs, posed for the artist.

Favorite places in Paris

Genre scenes gradually replaced the former artistic affections of the Parisian. He drew inspiration from the different places favorite city. One of these places was the Tuileries Garden - bohemians liked to walk in it on Sundays. The painting “Music in the Tuileries Garden” depicts a lot of characters, but the faces are blurred - this canvas must be viewed from a fairly large distance, otherwise you will see only blurry spots.

At the words “Railway”, you probably imagine a puffing mighty steam locomotive or a swift modern train rushing along the rails into the distance. But Edouard Manet is not so simple! The paintings of the master are sometimes very conditional. Here, on the famous work of the Frenchman "Railway", the steel line is only guessed - there, behind the heavy iron grate, to which the baby clung. And her mother (or governess?) sits nearby, holding a book and a dog in her hands.

Among the flowers and at the table

Other genre scenes also seemed to be snatched out by a vigilant camera - here is a couple enjoying the aroma flowering plants("In the greenhouse").

And here is another couple - they are engaged in a leisurely conversation at the set table, and in the background a waiter is staring at these two, carrying an order to someone. The painting is called “In Papa Lathuille’s Tavern”.

Manet's masterpieces - paintings that caused controversy

All the same Quiz Myoran (the woman from the painting "Railway"), completely naked, appears before the audience of the infamous "Breakfast on the Grass". The author was reproached for decadence and shamelessness. I wonder what the artist was thinking when he depicted a naked lady looking directly at you, in the company of men (who, unlike a companion, are dressed)? By the way, the painter's brother and future brother-in-law posed for a relative.

Olympia caused even more controversy in its time (1863). The French wrote it for Paris Salon, where the image was booed by the audience. As if Manet was the first author to flaunt female body! The Renaissance is famous for its masterpieces in the nude style, but what about Rembrandt's "Danaë"?.. Now the masterpiece is kept in the collection of the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.

Maestro's swan song

Before his untimely death, the maestro created his own last canvas- The bar at the Folies Bergère. It became an exhibit of another Paris Salon (1882). The scene of the picture is a bar located on the first floor of the popular metropolitan variety show. Right there, the painter began work on his creation. central figure- a barmaid behind the counter, looking at the viewer with longing eyes, and in the background a motley crowd is running around. The master managed to convey this “loneliness in the crowd” simply brilliantly! On the last April day of 1883, Edouard Manet died, but his paintings are immortal.

Edouard (Edouard) Manet (fr. Édouard Manet; January 23, 1832, Paris - April 30, 1883, Paris) - French painter, engraver, one of the founders of impressionism.

Édouard Manet was born at 5 rue Bonaparte in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés district of Paris to Auguste Manet, head of a department at the Ministry of Justice, and Eugenie-Desire Fournier, daughter of a French diplomat who was consul in Gothenburg. The Swedish king Charles XIII was the godfather of Manet's mother. In 1839, Manet was sent to study at the boarding school of Abbé Pualu, then, due to absolute indifference to studies, he was transferred by his father “to full board” to Rollin College, where he studied from 1844 to 1848, also without showing any success.

Despite Manet's great desire to become a painter, his father, who prophesied his son a career as a lawyer, ardently opposed his art education. However, his mother's brother, Edmond-Edouard Fournier, realizing the boy's artistic vocation, advised him to attend special lectures on painting, for which he himself signed up his nephew and personally paid for attendance. Thanks to Uncle Edmond, who regularly took the boy to museums, Manet discovered the Louvre, which had a decisive influence on his personal and creative life. Oddly enough, drawing lessons did not arouse the expected interest in Manet, largely due to the academic nature of teaching, and the boy preferred drawing portraits of his comrades to copying plaster sculptures, which soon became an example for many of his classmates.

In 1848, after finishing his studies, the young Manet faced strong opposition from his father to his plans to become an artist. A kind of compromise was found when Manet decided to enter a nautical school in 1847, but failed miserably in the entrance exams (Manet's general lack of education affected). However, as a preparation for re-examinations, he was allowed to go on a training voyage on the sailing ship Le Havre and Guadeloupe.

During the trip, the sailboat, in particular, visited Brazil. The exoticism and richness of colors of tropical countries only increased Manet's desire to study fine art - Edward brought a large number of drawings, sketches and studies from the trip. He often used team members as models.

From this trip, Manet left numerous letters to relatives, in which he described his impressions of the carnival in Rio and the exotic beauty of Brazilian women. On the other hand, he critically assessed slavery and the possible restoration of the monarchy in France. Manet's subsequent works are one tenth of seascapes, and his sea voyage to Brazil played an important role in this.

In July 1849, after returning to Paris, Manet once again unsuccessfully tried to pass the exam at the Maritime School. This time, the father, having appreciated the numerous drawings brought from the trip, no longer doubted his son's artistic vocation and advised him to enter the Paris School of Fine Arts. But fearing a too rigid and academic curriculum at the School, in 1850 Manet entered the studio of the then fashionable artist Thomas Couture, who became famous in 1847 thanks to the monumental painting “The Romans of the Decline Period”.

It was then that the conflict between Manet and the classical-romantic tradition of painting, which dominated France at that time, began to mature. The sharp rejection of the bourgeois orientation of the dominant style ultimately resulted in a clear break between Manet and Couture - the young artist left the teacher's workshop. However, at the insistence of his father, Manet was forced to apologize and return, although he retained his rejection of Couture's strict academicism.

Position young artist exacerbated by the unwanted pregnancy of his longtime lover Susanne Leenhof. The paternity of the child, in order to avoid the notoriety and wrath of Father Edward, was attributed to the fictional Coell, and then only for the mayor's office. Another version was also circulated that the newborn was not the son, but the brother of Suzanne.

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