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Edouard Manet

“There are no lines in nature, only areas of colour, one against another.”

Edouard Manet

One of the most influential artists of the 19^th century Edouard Manet was born on 23 Jan­u­ary 1883 to a wealthy Parisian fam­ily with strong polit­i­cal con­nec­tions. His father was a judge, and his mother was a daugh­ter of a diplo­mat and a god­daugh­ter of the Swedish crown prince.

Despite his father’s expec­ta­tions, Manet did not pur­sue a career in law.  Instead he stud­ied art under the aca­d­e­mic painter Thomas Cou­ture, and mas­tered his skills by copy­ing mas­ter­pieces at the Louvre.

In 1856, Manet opened his own studio. However, his works did not bring him the deserved recognition. On the contrary, they were regarded by his contemporaries as controversial and repugnant.

Manet’s style of painting challenged the art conventions of that time. His most renowned paintings The Lun­cheon on the Grass and Olympia caused a big public scandal. The flatness of the paintings, the sketch-like manner in which he handled the works as well as the underlying message that raised the issue of prostitution and the role of women were ridiculed by the art critics. However, they played a crucial role inspiring young artists who were later to become known as impressionists.

Learn more about Edouard Manet and explore his works on Europeana.