Olympia: A Painting by Edouard Manet
Olympia is the title of this painting, which was made by Edouard Manet. Edouard Manet was a French artist from Paris. Manet was a French painter who lived from 1832 to 1883. His iconic Olympia painting was completed in 1863 and first shown to the public in 1865 at the Paris Salon (Manet, Néret, and Miller 21).
Influence of Titian's Venus of Urbino
Olympia was influenced by Titian's Venus of Urbino, known as the Sleeping Venus. One of the modifications is that he replaced the dog in the artwork with a kitten. This art is of a woman who is nude ‘Olympia’; her servant is holding a bouquet of flowers in her hand that is believed to be from a client.
Symbolism and Imagery
Olympia has a golden bracelet on her arm; slippers believed to be belonging to Louis XV and a flower on her head to symbolize wealth. The art of Olympia provides a lot of imagery. The white woman in this art is portrayed as a prostitute. The dark-skinned woman in this painting brings out the primitive notion that non-western people had on sexuality, and they used this perception to justify the views they had against on the colonialists (Mallucci and Branford 459).
Controversy and Modernity
The painting also tries to bring out the modernity of the society. Although things such as prostitution were happening at the times when Manet lived, the community was preserved about this issues that is why Manet received a lot of objection after unveiling this art. The cat in the painting is also symbolic and is a sign of promiscuity that the courtesan portrays. Olympia is seen from the art covering her private parts using her hand this is interpreted as blocking (Manet, Néret, and Miller 21).
Medium and Technique
The materials used included painting brushes, paint of different colors, and the sculpture. This portrait was made from brushstrokes that were quickly made and were broad. Mid-tones were eliminated by the lighting of the studio. The painting was shallow in depth and color surfaces were large. The light in this picture is very harsh because of the meaning that it is depicting women should not be sexualized. The original canvas of the painting is 51.4x74.8 inches which are very large (Friedrich 820). This light shows the myth surrounding this work of art. The painting on the courtesan was revolutionary because Manet used black for the background. Using black was not the usual style, and he wanted the effect of the picture to be felt.
Color and Impressionism
The color was well applied in this painting to enhance its visibility. The jewelry on the body of the white lady is given in the golden color which compliments the skin tone of the girl. The profile of where the girl is lying is heightened and is painted white while the background is painted black. Everything element in the courtesan is visible as Edouard prioritized color. Another issue that makes this art revolutionary is how the artist played around with colors; Primary colors have been mixed with secondary colors enhancing the effect of the painting. Judging the art of painting is done on how well the colors are displayed, and for Manet, this is something that he managed to capture. The art was for the 19th century but it can even act a guide in the 21st century.
Manet's Impressionist Style
Manet in his artwork of Olympia adopted the style of impressionism. Impressionism is the style of writing that embraced symbolism. Some of the characteristics of impressionism justify this painting to have been done using this style. One characteristic of impressionism is that the artist chooses instead of painting what the known like the rivers, they paint about theoretical issues that will bring transformation. Edouard depicts a naked woman whose characteristic features show the presence of prostitution. Another characteristic of Impressionism is that they translated the idea of time into their work. In this case, the artist sees that women are sexualized, and he depicts this in his art. He also perceives that the non-western countries are opposed to colonialism because of the way the westerners are not sexually preserved and he exactly brings out that in his art.
Socio-Cultural Influences
Olympia was a title in Paris associated with prostitution and this influenced the title of the work by Manet (Friedrich 820). This painting could have also been influenced by the fact that slavery had been abolished in France but the racists who were stereotypes continued to practice it. In the picture, a black servant brings the flowers to the white master who is comfortably lying on the couch. The different levels of the two are noticeable as the white woman seems to have real jewelry, and the black woman is fully covered. The dark-skinned woman stares at the nakedness of the white one because she does not share the same thought about nakedness as the white lady.
Gazes and Narrative
The story told in this text can be derived from the gazes of the two women in the art. Olympia gives a defying gaze while her servant has a surprised gaze. The defying gaze is the gaze that women have towards them being depicted as sexual objects and the modesty in which when encountered with such situations they are supposed to behave. Even in modern times, feminists have widely fought the idea that women are sexual objects and this is the look on Olympia’s face. The servant, on the other hand, tells the story of colonization. Non-westerners were opposed to the idea of migration as the whites wanted them westernized. The other story that told is of oppression. Despite cruelty having been abolished, there were still some French people who were practicing it.
Christianity and Symbolism
Christianity influenced Manet's paintings. Christianity, for instance, condemns oppression and this is the reason why he created the Olympian art to condemn the act of cruelty. Having been influenced by Christianity, Manet also brought in his art that prostitution was also convicted of the religion that he was affiliated to. The white lady has covered her private parts, and unlike the woman in Titian Venus of Urbino who is brought out as appealing after exposing herself, Olympia is covered (Reff 112). Not much about the politics of France is presented, however; it is seen not to be a strict government. The law has already made slavery illegal, but there are no close follow-ups, hence, racists are still practicing it.
Challenging Traditional Art
This art was created as a challenge to the function that art in France played. Art in France was depicted to play the role of praising the history of the Country and to the State. Manet, however, talked about something else that is oppression and sexuality. After the death of Manet, Claude Monet purchased the Olympia and later sold it to the State. It is currently housed at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. The courtesan was not previously housed anywhere else because of the condemnation that it had already faced from the people. Manet kept it to himself after the exhibition on the Paris salon. The original intention of the artist while doing the painting of the Olympia was to show the role of women in the society and to condemn prostitution (Clark 124). The courtesan having been taken to the museum, its purpose changed. In the museum, it is viewed as a tourist attraction object, and probably, it is kept as a history of art in France. The painting lost its meaning.
Conclusion
In conclusion, art is an exciting area of study. Manet’s painting of Olympia has proved to be a fascinating art of painting. This courtesan has become so attractive that no artist at that time dared to do something like that. People probably feared the condemnation from the society and that is why they preferred to be a realist that is doing art as they perceived it. Manet did something out of the ordinary and introduced the style of art of impressionism based on symbolism. The Olympia has taught me that culture influences art. Prostitution has been present in France influenced Manet to do this type of art. The fact that the government of France bought the courtesan from Edouard Manet shows that the State should always preserve its history for the future generations.
Works Cited
Clark, Timothy J. The Painting of Modern Life: Paris in the Art of Manet and His Followers. Princeton University Press, 2015.
Friedrich, Otto. Olympia: Paris in the Age of Manet. Simon and Schuster (A Touchstone Book, 1992.
Manet, Édouard, Gilles Néret, and Chris Miller. Édouard Manet: 1832-1883. Taschen, 2003.
Mallucci, Patrick, and Olivier Alexandre Branford. “Shapes, Proportions, and Variations in Breast Aesthetic Ideals: The Definition of Breast Beauty, Analysis, and Surgical Practice.” Clinics in Plastic Surgery, vol. 42, no. 4, 2015, pp. 451-464.
Reff, Theodore. Manet: Olympia. Allen Lane, 1976.
