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 of Fine Arts under T. Couture, where he copied works by masters of the Italian Renaissance and the 17th century. (Titian, D. Velazquez, F. Hale, etc.), as well as F. Goya and E. Delacroix.

In Manet’s early works (late 50s - early 60s of the 19th century), constituting a gallery of human types and characters, Manet tries to combine verisimilitude with romanticization of the model’s appearance (“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) serves as an example of the depiction of a mid-19th century Parisian woman in the guise of a mythological heroine.

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

During these years, Manet often turned to episodes of 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 is manifested in scenes, as if snatched from its 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 with his art the emergence of impressionism, 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.

Manet was strongly opposed to academic forms of creativity, but throughout almost his entire life he had a deep respect for the traditions of some of the great masters, the direct or indirect influence of which is evident in many of his works ("The Balcony", 1868-1869, Orsay Museum, Paris; " Over a glass of beer", 1873, K. Thiesen Collection, Philadelphia).

The nature of his painting is largely determined by the experience of his predecessors: the great Spaniards Velazquez and F. Goya, the famous Dutch master F. Hals, the French painters O. Daumier and G. Courbet, but also by the desire to step beyond existing traditions and create a new, modern, reflective art around the world. The first step on this path were two paintings that sounded like a challenge to official art: “Lunch on the Grass” (1863, Orsay Museum, Paris) and “Olympia” (1863, Orsay Museum, Paris). After writing them, the artist was subjected to severe criticism from the public and the press; only a small group of artists came to his defense, among whom were C. Monet, E. Degas, P. Cezanne and others, and only E. Zola repelled the attacks of journalists. In gratitude, in 1868, E. Manet painted a portrait of the writer (Museum Orsay, Paris), which is a classic example of characterizing a model using still life details.

The Impressionists considered E. Manet their ideological leader and predecessor. But his art is much broader and does not fit into the framework of one direction, although the artist always supported the impressionists in the fundamental views on art regarding working in the plein air and reflecting fleeting impressions of the really existing world. The so-called impressionism of E. Manet is closer to the painting of Japanese masters. He simplifies the motifs, balancing the decorative and the real in them, creating a generalized idea of ​​what he saw: a pure impression, devoid of unnecessary details, an expression of the joy of sensation ("On the Seashore", 1873, Collection of J. Doucet, Paris). E. Manet repeatedly participated in collaboration with C. Monet and O. Renoir on the banks of the Seine, where the main motif of his paintings is bright blue water (“In a Boat”, 1874, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York). E. Manet loves to paint a person against the backdrop of a landscape, conveying the feeling of the freshness of nature through his facial expressions, gestures and expressive poses ("Argenteuil", 1874, Museum of Art, Tournai).

The painting closest to the impressionistic perception of the world is “The Boat - the Studio of C. Monet” (1874, Neue Pinakothek, Munich), in which, using additional yellow and blue strokes, the artist achieves a complete illusion of the vibrating movement of water, shaded by the boat. It cannot be said that this plein air work greatly changed the artist’s creative style, but it significantly enriched his pictorial palette. Thus, he abandoned the use of pure black, especially when painting landscapes, and replaced it with a combination of individual strokes of different colors.

In 1874, E. Manet made a trip to Venice, the impressions of which resulted in a series of impressionistic paintings written with energetic strokes ("Canal Grande in Venice", 1875, Provident Security Company, San Francisco).

In the later period of his work, E. Manet moved away from impressionism and returned to his previous style. In the mid-1870s. passionately works with pastel, which helped him use the achievements of the Impressionists in the field of color analysis, while maintaining his own idea of ​​​​the balance between silhouette and volume ("Woman tying up a stocking", 1880, Nansen Collection, Copenhagen). E. Manet's work in pastels helped soften his painting style even in those cases when he described far from poetic images inspired by the works of contemporary writers ("Nana", 1877, Kunsthalle, Hamburg; "At Father Lathuile's", 1879, Museum, Turin ). The pinnacle of E. Manet’s work is his famous painting “Bar at the Folies Bergere” (1882, Warburg and Courtauld Institute Gallery, London), which represents a synthesis of the transience, instability, momentariness inherent in impressionism, and the constancy, stability and inviolability inherent in the classical movement in art. The clear foreground of the picture is contrasted with the background - an unclear and almost fantastic mirror reflection. This work can be considered a programmatic work in the work of E. Manet, since it reflects his favorite themes: still life, portrait, various lighting effects, crowd movement.

E. Manet received official recognition in 1882, when he was awarded the Order of the Legion of Honor - the main award of France.

Edouard Manet's brief biography of the French artist is presented in this article.

Edouard Manet biography briefly

Was born January 23, 1832 in Paris in 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 fiercely opposed his son’s desire to study as an artist and wanted him to study at a naval school, but Eduard failed the entrance exams and got a job as a cabin boy on a merchant ship. During this long journey, the young man draws a lot. These are mainly portraits and sketches of ship crew members.

After returning from his trip, he again tries to enroll in the Naval School, where he again fails. After repeated failure, with the consent of his parents, Manet begins to paint. The training, which lasted more than 6 years, takes place in the workshop of Tom Couture, a fairly famous academic artist. During his studies, he travels to Germany, Italy and the Czech Republic, where he gets acquainted with the largest museums and art monuments in Europe. The training lasted until 1856.

In 1863, Manet married Suzanne Leenhoff, a Dutch woman, with whom he had an affair for 10 years.

From the end of his studies until 1870, Manet continued his work as an artist. The main technique in his work remains figurative compositions and portraits. During the German siege of Paris in 1870, the artist became an artilleryman and was among the defenders of the city. He tries to capture the city during its siege and famine. In those same years, the artist became acquainted and communicated with famous impressionists of that time, such as Monet, Pissarro, Sisley and others.

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

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

Edouard Manet was born at 5 rue Bonaparte in the Parisian quarter of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in the family of Auguste Manet, head of a department at the Ministry of Justice, and Eugenie-Désirée Fournier, the 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 Abbot Poilou, then, due to absolute indifference to his studies, he was transferred by his father “on full board” to the 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 predicted a career as a lawyer for his son, vehemently opposed his artistic education. However, his mother’s brother, Edmond-Edouard Fournier, realizing the boy’s artistic calling, advised him to attend special lectures on painting, which he himself enrolled his nephew in and personally paid for. 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. Drawing lessons, oddly enough, did not arouse the expected interest in Manet, largely due to the academic nature of the 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 completing his studies, the young Manet faced his father's strong opposition to his plans to become an artist. A kind of compromise was found when Manet decided to enter a nautical school in 1847, but miserably failed the entrance exams (Manet’s general lack of education affected him). However, in preparation for the 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 strengthened Manet’s desire to study the art of painting - from the trip Edward brought a large number of drawings, sketches and sketches. He often used team members as models.

From this trip, Manet left numerous letters to his relatives, in which he described his impressions of the carnival in Rio and the exotic beauty of Brazilian women. On the other hand, he assessed slavery and the possible restoration of the monarchy in France with a critical eye. One tenth of Manet's subsequent works consisted of seascapes, and his sea voyage to Brazil played a significant role in this.

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

It was then that the conflict between Manet and the classical-romantic tradition of painting that dominated France at that time began to brew. A 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.

The young artist's situation was aggravated by the unwanted pregnancy of his longtime lover Susanne Leenhof. The paternity of the child, in order to avoid notoriety and the wrath of Edward's father, was attributed to the fictitious Coella, and then only for the mayor's office. Another version was also spread that the newborn was not the son, but the brother of Suzanne.

This is part of a Wikipedia article used under the CC-BY-SA license. Full text of the article here →

People who are just beginning to get acquainted with fine art are often confused Edouard Manet With Claude Monet. After all, these impressionists have very similar not only surnames, but also many elements of their biography: they were both born in Paris, showed attention to the same ladies, and also often appeared together, as they were friends. Contemporaries, by the way, also sometimes confused Monet and Manet, since both painters wore beards.

Edouard Manet (left) and Claude Monet (right). Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

AiF.ru decided at this point to leave the biography of Manet and Monet alone and tell what novice art lovers should pay attention to in order to better understand the peculiarities of the work of these two impressionists:

Plot

On the Internet you can come across the so-called “brief history of art”, which consists of one rule: “Monet - stains, Manet - people.” Indeed, Claude Monet has a lot of works depicting landscapes (“Impression. The Rising Sun”), and Edouard Manet has works depicting people (“The Railway,” “Bar in the Folies-Berrières”).

Claude Monet, “Impression. Rising Sun", 1872

But if everything were so simple... The fact is that both masters have canvases both with people and without. For this reason, art critics advise taking a closer look at other elements of the canvas, such as style, color, light and volume.

Edouard Manet. Railway, 1872-1873.

Style

Both artists were impressionists, but the style of their paintings is still different. Thus, Edouard Manet was always much closer to realism, his paintings are clearer and more accurate. So much so that some art critics do not classify him as an impressionist at all, considering him the first modernist. Therefore, the more realistic the painting looks, the more likely it is that its author was Edouard Manet (“Portrait of Leon Leenhoff”, “Breakfast in the Studio”).

Edouard Manet, Portrait of Leon Leenhoff, 1868

The work of Claude Monet, on the contrary, is very far from a realistic depiction of reality; this artist sought to depict the mobility and variability of this world. Monet’s paintings, as a rule, do not have clear lines; they are made with large, broad strokes (“Lily Pond”).

Claude Monet, "Lily Pond", 1899

Color, light and volume

Since Claude Monet began as a caricaturist, the emotions they evoke in the viewer are of great importance in his works. And one of the surest ways for an artist to convey an emotional component is color and light. Therefore, if in a painting the main role is occupied not by the authenticity of objects, but by the combination of light and color, then you are definitely looking at Monet (“Poplars”, “Nymphaeas”).

But in the paintings of Edouard Manet, color is not given such fundamental importance; in them, the main factor is three-dimensional scenes, sometimes with a very complex composition (“Matador”, “Music in the Tuileries Garden”).

"Breakfast on the Grass" by Monet and Manet

Edouard Manet, Luncheon on the Grass, 1863

Both Claude Monet and Edouard Manet have a painting called Luncheon on the Grass. True, the first artist completed his canvas in 1863, and the second three years later.

Claude Monet, Luncheon on the Grass, 1865-1866