Edouard Manet, Olympia, 1863Musee d'Orsay, Paris
(Source)
(Source)
After the Venus of Urbino last week, I thought this would be a nice piece for the week. Olympia clearly references Titian's painting through the composition of the work - the bed, presence of the maid, animal at her feet, and of course, the pose. But unlike Venus whose relaxed pudica gesture was intended to titilate, Olympia's tensed hand is a defensive concealment.
Also unlike Venus, Olympia's identity has never been in question. Statistics from the 1860s indicate that while the city has a population of approximately one million, Paris had about 35,000 registered and an unknown number of unregistered prostitutes. Working girls often acquired psuedonyms of which Olympia was a common name. Needless to say, when Manet submitted this painting to the Paris Salon, outrage ensued.
Victorine Meurent, the model in Olympia, also posed in an number of Manet's other paintings including his other outrager, Dejeuner sur l'herbe.
Also unlike Venus, Olympia's identity has never been in question. Statistics from the 1860s indicate that while the city has a population of approximately one million, Paris had about 35,000 registered and an unknown number of unregistered prostitutes. Working girls often acquired psuedonyms of which Olympia was a common name. Needless to say, when Manet submitted this painting to the Paris Salon, outrage ensued.
Victorine Meurent, the model in Olympia, also posed in an number of Manet's other paintings including his other outrager, Dejeuner sur l'herbe.
No comments:
Post a Comment