Edouard Manet (1832-1883), French painter.

Born on January 23, 1832 in the family of a Parisian official, he lived mainly in Paris, and died here on April 30, 1883.

In 1850-1856. studied at the School fine arts at T. Couture, where he copied the works of masters Italian Renaissance and XVII century (Titian, D. Velazquez, F. Hale, etc.), as well as F. Goya and E. Delacroix.

In the early works of Manet (late 50s - early 60s of the 19th century), making up the gallery human types and characters, Manet tries to combine verisimilitude with romanticization appearance models (“The Absinthe Drinker,” 1859; “Lola from Valencia,” 1862).

Using traditional motifs, the artist fills them with new techniques and techniques. This is the composition “Breakfast on the Grass” (1863), a theme inspired by Giorgione’s “Rural Concert”. "Olympia" (also 1863) exemplifies the depiction of a Parisian woman disguised as a mythological heroine mid-19th V.

Manet's painting throughout the 60s. gradually becomes lighter, but the contrasts between dark and light zones are preserved and even enhanced by the contour.

During these years, Manet often turned to episodes modern history. These are “The Execution of Emperor Maximilian” (1867), “Execution of the Communards” (1871). But first of all, Manet's attention to modern life manifests itself in scenes that seem to be snatched from her everyday flow (“Breakfast in the Studio”, “Balcony”, both 1868), as well as in portraits (for example, E. Zola, 1868).

In ordinary life situations, the painter seeks beauty and harmony.

Anticipating the emergence of impressionism with his art, Manet from the late 60s. gets closer to his masters (E. Degas, C. Monet, O. Renoir) and from the beginning of the 70s. moves on to plein air painting.

A number of works, such as “Argenteuil”, “Monet and Madame Monet in a Boat” (both 1874), bear the features of this method. In the bustle of city life, Manet chooses the most characteristic moments (Un ballo in maschera at the Opera, 1873; Nana, 1877). But Manet’s most significant work is rightfully considered “The Folies Bergere Bar” (1881-1882), where, like Velazquez, Manet plays with a mirror in the composition. Behind the brooding barmaid is a ghostly mess reflected in the glass.

In the 70s Manet works a lot on portraits, paints still lifes and landscapes, acts as a draftsman, master of lithography and etching.

At first glance, the biography of Edouard Manet seems quite rosy and shows us the artist as the darling of fate. Born into a wealthy, respected family, who received an excellent education, he moved in high social circles, traveled and did what he loved - painting. What else does a person need in order to consider himself happy? But no! It's not that simple...

Edouard Manet. Biography

Born on January 23, 1832. Father is a lawyer, mother is the daughter of an ambassador.

Manet's character was intelligent and rebellious. When putting pressure on him, trying to impose their will on him, his parents did not encounter any obvious resistance from him. Not connecting his future with any professions other than artistic craft, the guy secretly stood his ground. “You will be a lawyer like your father.” “Of course, mummy, for me.” After which he “suddenly” fails. This is his characteristic way of dealing with attempts to break his will.

After a quarrel with his parents, he gets a job as a cabin boy on a sailboat and, realizing his old dream of Rio de Janeiro, sets sail.

Upon his return, he gets a job as a student with the scandalous artist Thomas Couture, the author of the sensational painting “Romans of Decline,” depicting an orgy. The relationship between Couture and Manet is very bad, but, nevertheless, the young artist patiently undergoes training with the master to the end.

Communicating with famous artists, poets, writers and drawing inspiration from their work, Edouard Manet develops his own individual style of painting. Among his friends and inspirers: Charles Baudelaire, Renoir, Monet and others.

Despite the rejection of his works by critics, he was widely famous artist, accepted both among the impressionists and among masters of other areas of painting.

Recognition of Manet's talent occurs at the very end of his life. In 1881 he was awarded the Salon medal, and some time later the Order of the Legion of Honor. At that time, Edgar Manet no longer painted, paralyzed due to cerebral ataxia. On April 30, 1883, the artist left this sinful earth without undergoing surgery at the age of 51.

Artist's creativity

Edouard Manet shows no attempts to innovate from his first independent work. But with the death of his father and the receipt of an inheritance, the flight of his thoughts becomes liberated, not burdened by financial dependence on painting. The artist’s creative freedom in 1863 revealed to the world the first of his scandalous masterpieces - “Breakfast on the Grass”, depicting a naked woman in the company of dressed men. Carrying out a daring challenge to public morality, the painting is subject to a ban on showing in an official salon. It is considered indecent, and Edouard Manet himself is reproached for immorality for writing it.

The further work of Edouard Manet does not change its direction and continues its line. 1865 is the year of the birth of Olympia, which caused even more merciless criticism and misunderstanding on the part of fans of the fine arts. Edouard Manet dares to depict a naked woman in a contemporary interior, and not in classic style antiquity, accepted among This was perceived by critics as unheard of hypocrisy. The poor beauty depicted on the canvas immediately acquired the unflattering epithets of “a slut who imagines herself to be a queen” and “a shameless girl who came out of Manet’s brush.”

Moreover, “Olympia” was painted on a large-scale canvas, which was only acceptable for which also added fuel to the fire of indignation among critics. The picture gathers a lot of people around it only to be ridiculed and cursed.

And now Edouard Manet, whose biography is pure from fornication and debauchery, who all his life loved only one woman - Suzanne Leenhoff, is acquiring an extremely bad reputation. Tired of such rumors, the artist Edouard Manet leaves his homeland for a while. But upon his return, he continues to work in his own manner, without giving up. This is what angers critics the most.

Contribution to the development of art

Manet carried out a kind of revolution in understanding fine arts those times. Through continuous experimentation with color and form, he laid the foundation for the development of many new trends in French painting. He questioned the inviolability of painting styles of the late 19th and early 20th centuries: classicism, realism, impressionism. An example of audacity and novelty in the subjects of his paintings inspired many young artists to search for new ways to reveal images.

Edouard Manet did not dwell on certain themes of his works; he alternated landscapes with portraits, still lifes with scenes from life. Preference in colors was also subject to constant experimentation: dark, thick, contrasting ones were replaced by lighter, lighter ones.

Artist Recognition

As often happens, the epithets “ genius artist", "the great Manet" and other flattering reviews during his lifetime he never heard. Real fame came to his works many years after his death, and it began with the same “Olympia” - “tasteless” and “vulgar”.

Now Manet's paintings are valued at millions of pounds sterling: from seven to fifty-six.

Edward with titles no less scandalous

"The Surprised Nymph" The painting, the plot of which reveals to the viewer the frightened gaze of a nymph bandaging her knee, amazes art connoisseurs even now. At the beginning of the last century original story Critics perceived this painting as a slap in the face of classical painting.

"Suicide". Due to the sensitivity of the plot, the canvas was not considered worthy of being shown at the National Salon and gathered dust in the artist’s studio for many years. On at the moment work is in private collection Emil Georg Bührle in Zurich.

The masterpiece “Bathers on the Seine”, made in oil, was also subject to prohibitions from being presented to the public in the official Salon, and was exhibited only in the Salon of the Rejected. The manner of execution of the painting, which was atypical for that time, prompted the public to be prejudiced towards it.

A similar fate haunts many artists and their work. Only years, and sometimes centuries later, are they recognized as geniuses.

Manet Edouard(Manet, Edouard)

Manet Edouard(Manet, Edouard) (1832-1883), a French painter and graphic artist, with his art anticipated the emergence of impressionism and became one of its founders.

Almost all his life, Manet’s work faced opposition and difficulties. His father was the head of a department in the Ministry of Justice and prepared his son for a career as a lawyer. He was an ardent opponent of art education for his son. And the young artist has to constantly struggle with the demands of his influential father, which forces him to leave home.

The study of painting in the academic style and the manner of romanticism (fashionable at that time) did not attract Edward. He constantly studies the works and creativity of past artists, visits many museums and travels a lot (Italy, Venice, Florence, Holland, Dresden, Prague, Vienna). One of the artists who had the greatest influence on Manet was Velazquez.

He embodies the accumulated knowledge and vision in his works. Edward persistently strives for recognition in Paris, but he early works rejected by critics. The rejection of works competing for participation in the Paris Salon forced Manet to hold an exhibition called “The Salon of the Rejected.” The artist had high hopes for recognition of his painting “Breakfast on the Grass,” but it was criticized and caused laughter among visitors to the salon. But the painting attracted the greatest attention and became a symbol of the 1863 Salon of Rejects. Manet achieves fame, albeit scandalous.

Manet's innovative painting was subject to fierce attacks from critics who considered the artist a rebel in art. Using and reinterpreting the subjects and motifs of the paintings of the old masters, Manet sought to fill them with a sharp modern sound, polemically introducing them into famous classical compositions modern man("Breakfast on the Grass", 1863).

At the end of the 1860s. Manet became close to E. Degas, C. Monet, O. Renoir and switched to plein air painting; dull and dense tones with a predominance dark colors was replaced by lighter and freer painting (“In the Boat”, 1874). The main theme of Manet's works is scenes Parisian life(“Nana”, 1877; “In the tavern of Father Lathuile”, 1879). His most significant and profound work, Bar "Folies-Bergere" (1881-1882), shows the illusory and illusory nature of happiness amid sparkling, festive fun. Manet addressed a wide variety of topics, painted portraits, still lifes and landscapes, and acted as a draftsman, master of lithography and etching. Manet's creativity inspired new life into French art of the 19th century and largely determined the main paths of further artistic quests in painting.

Since 1881 he was ill with ataxia - a lack of coordination of movements. Later life the artist is associated with the constant development of the disease. On April 19, 1883, his left leg was amputated, and 11 days later he died in terrible agony.

Paintings by Edouard Manet:

Although Manet himself never sought to carry out a revolutionary revolution in European painting, fate was willing to make him the “father of impressionism.”

Self-portrait with a palette. 1878.

Biography and work of Edouard Manet (1832 - 1883)

Auguste and Eugene Manet, parents of the artist, Manet. 1860. Orsay Museum, Paris
Manet was born on January 23, 1832 in Paris, at number 5 on the Rue des Petits Augustins. Édouard Manet was the son of Auguste Manet, an official in the Ministry of Justice, and Eugenie-Désirée Fournier, the daughter of a diplomat and goddaughter of Marshal Bernadotte. Coming from a noble bourgeoisie, refined, educated, but conservative, he studied carelessly and, with all due respect to his parents, fiercely resisted the wishes of his father, who destined for him a career as a lawyer.

Battle of "Kearsage" and "Alabama". 1864

On December 9, 1848, young Edouard Manet boarded the ship Le Havre et Guadeloupe as a cabin boy. The journey across the Atlantic and stay in Rio left a deep imprint on Manet's mind.

Bullfight. 1865 - 1866

He, born under the smoky sky of Paris and brought up in a decorous and boring environment, first discovered for himself the beauty of sunny open spaces, the radiance of colors. Of course, that amazing personal feeling of the sea, which later distinguished Manet the Marine Painter, was born in his soul precisely during this voyage to transequatorial countries. The journey gave Manet a thirst for creativity, and when he walked down the ramp to the French shore on June 13, 1849, his travel suitcase was stuffed with drawings. But upon his return he again fails in the entrance exams.

Matador. 1866 - 1867

Then he becomes an apprentice to the artist and good teacher Tom Cooper, the author of the sensational painting “The Romans of Decline” at the 1847 Salon. However, after some time, he rebelled against his training, because the spirit of routine reigned in the workshop, and the traditions of the “school of common sense” or the “golden mean” flourished. After more than 5 years of studying with Thomas Couture, 24-year-old Manet embarked on the path of independent quest, where museums in France, Italy, Germany, Holland, Austria, Spain and England were his support and milestones.

Spanish singer(Guitarero) - 1860

In 1859, together with his friends, he tried to exhibit his paintings at the Salon, which was then held every two years. Despite Delacroix's approval and support, his painting "The Absinthe Lover" was rejected. However, in 1861, two of his other works were favorably received, even marked as “venerable”: “Portrait of Parents” and “Guitarero”.

Absinthe lover. 1858 -1859. New Carlsberg Glyptotek
In the early 60s, Manet wrote a variety of compositions: Spanish motifs ("Lola from Valencia", 1862; "Spanish Ballet", 1863; "Dead Bullfighter"), marinas ("Fight of "Kirsaja" and "Alabama", 1864), plein air scenes ("Running in Long Shan", 1864), paintings on themes of modern history ("Execution of Emperor Maximilian", 1867), still lifes and paintings on religious subjects ("Dead Christ", 1864).

Lola de Valence. 1862


"Spanish Ballet", 1863; "


"Dead Bullfighter"


"Running in Long Shan", 1864


"Execution of Emperor Maximilian", 1867

"Dead Christ", 1864


Bullfight. 1865
In 1863, Emperor Louis Napoleon ordered that the rejected works of the official Salon be exhibited in the Palace of Industry located next to the Salon. This parallel exhibition was called “The Salon of the Rejected.” The real center of attraction was Edouard Manet's painting "Lunch on the Grass".

Breakfast on the grass. 1863

Soon Manet completed another painting, which again destroyed the traditional perception, like Luncheon on the Grass, and was again wildly notorious. Now we were talking about the image of a young woman lying on the bed. Earrings, bracelets and velvet around her neck made up her entire attire. Manet named his painting Olympia as a tribute to its classical model.


Olympia. 1863

In 1865, the painting was accepted into the Salon, and for the second time Manet's work shocked French society. "Olympia" attracted even more viewers than "Breakfast on the Grass." She was the only picture that everyone wanted to see. Huge crowds gathered near her, and two burly guards were forced to call everyone to order. In 1866, the Salon jury rejected Manet's The Tragic Actor and The Flutist. Zola defends the artist in the Evenement newspaper, but he is forced to stop his publications.

Portrait of Emile Zola. 1868

Tragic Actor (Rouvier as Hamlet).

"Flutist"
In the 1860s, Manet intensively studied portraiture. The main characters of his works were his contemporaries. Human-sized figures appeared on Manet’s canvases, striking with the natural simplicity of movements and poses, captured with quick, decisive strokes.

Portrait of Madame Brunet. 1860 - 1867


Portrait of Zacharie Astruc. 1866

A number of portraits are dedicated to Berthe Morisot; Manet had met her a year earlier at the Louvre, where she copied Rubens. Bertha became the wife of Edward's brother - Eugene Manet

In the next decade, Manet showed his colleagues a brilliant example of creative energy. He painted portraits, floral still lifes and horse racing scenes. If it happened somewhere important event, he went there and impersonated him. Working in the open air, the artist achieved brilliant success (“Monet in a boat off the banks of the Seine”, 1874). The brightening of his palette is characteristic of Manet's works of the 70s; in those years he wrote his brightest works: " Railway"(1873), "In the Boat" (1874), "Argenteuil" (1874).


Railway. 1873


In the boat. 1874

Argenteuil. 1874


Monet's family in the garden. 1874
But in 1874, when his impressionist friends decided to exhibit together, Manet left them, leaving the place of head of the movement to Claude Monet. He creates a series of paintings marked by naturalism: “Waitress in a Brasserie” (1878), “In the Tavern of Father Lathuile” (1879), “Bar at the Folies Bergere” (1881-1882).

Waitress in a pub. 1878

In Father Lathuille's tavern. 1879

Bar at the Folies Bergere. 1881 - 1882

In "Bar at the Folies Bergere", exhibited at the Salon of 1882, the artist achieves a synthesis of melancholy and the charm of life in Montmartre, to which he was long attached.
In 1874, Manet visited Venice and captured the city with short, energetic strokes of luminous colors.

Grand Canal. Venice. 1874

Grand Canal or Blue Venice. 1874

In September 1879, Manet suffered his first acute attack of rheumatism. It soon turned out that he was suffering from ataxia - a lack of coordination of movements. The disease progressed quickly, limiting the artist's creative capabilities. Numerous still lifes and watercolors appeared during this period. In December 1881, on the recommendation of Antonin Proust, the artist's childhood friend and new Minister of Culture, Manet was awarded the Legion of Honor.
During these years, Mane finally received recognition of his talent - even from those who had struggled with him all his life.

"In the cafe." 1878

Male head (Dr. Matern?) 1878

Mother in the garden
Bellevue
1880

Edouard Manet Lady in Furs 1880.

Rose and tulip
1882

Lilac and roses
1883
It became increasingly difficult for the artist not only to work, but also to move. On April 19, 1883, his left leg was amputated, and 11 days later he died in terrible agony. All artistic Paris gathered for the funeral of the great creator.

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