Edouard Manet

By Sandra Forty

Many art historians consider Edouard Manet to be the father of modern art. Although often cited alongside the Impressionists, he was not a member of their group and never exhibited in their Salon des Réfusées. Instead, he pioneered a path between realism and impressionism, choosing contemporary subjects and composing them in a truly modern fashion. A number of Manet’s paintings provoked outrage and scandal, but his most controversial work was Le Déjeuner sur l’Herbe (Luncheon on the Grass ), which showed a naked woman enjoying a picnic beside two fully and conventionally, if rather exotically, dressed men. Today it is hard to appreciate the shock it caused, but at the time the painting became a real cause célèbre. Manet became one of the first artists to make the common man (and woman) the theme of his work. His preferred subjects were compositions of people enjoying their leisure time in the parks, cafés, and amusement centers around Paris. Many of Manet’s works are almost photographic in their composition and use of light. As a result, these works had a distinctly modern look for their era, unnerving critics and alarming contemporary audiences while inspiring the admiration of young, upcoming artists.

• Language: English
• Publisher: TAJ Books International
• Release date: Jan 9, 2013
• ISBN: 9781844062881

Sandra Forty

Sandra Forty is a graduate of London University where she studied medieval and early modern history, including a spell at the Courtauld Institute learning about Renaissance art from Professor Gombrich. Since then she has worked as a journalist in London, then as a book editor and writer. She is the author of a number of books, most on art and architecture. Sandra lives in south Devon with her husband, children and many cats.

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