Olympia

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Olympia: Edouard Manet

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Work Overview: Olympia
Artist Édouard Manet
Year 1863
Medium Oil on canvas
Dimensions 130.5 cm × 190 cm (51.4 in × 74.8 in)
Location Musée d'Orsay, Paris

Olympia is a painting by Édouard Manet, first exhibited at the 1865 Paris Salon, which shows a nude woman ("Olympia") lying on a bed being brought flowers by a servant. Olympia was modelled by Victorine Meurent and Olympia's servant by the art model Laure. Olympia's confrontational gaze caused shock and astonishment when the painting was first exhibited because a number of details in the picture identified her as a prostitute. The French government acquired the painting in 1890 after a public subscription organized by Claude Monet. The painting is on display at the Musée d'Orsay, Paris.

What shocked contemporary audiences was not Olympia's nudity, nor the presence of her fully clothed maid, but her confrontational gaze and a number of details identifying her as a demi-mondaine or prostitute.[1] These include the orchid in her hair, her bracelet, pearl earrings and the oriental shawl on which she lies, symbols of wealth and sensuality. The black ribbon around her neck, in stark contrast with her pale flesh, and her cast-off slipper underline the voluptuous atmosphere. "Olympia" was a name associated with prostitutes in 1860s Paris.[2]

The painting is modelled after Titian's Venus of Urbino (1538).[3] Whereas the left hand of Titian's Venus is curled and appears to entice, Olympia's left hand appears to block, which has been interpreted as symbolic of her sexual independence from men and her role as a prostitute, granting or restricting access to her body in return for payment. Manet replaced the little dog (symbol of fidelity) in Titian's painting with a black cat, which traditionally symbolized prostitution. Olympia disdainfully ignores the flowers presented to her by her servant, probably a gift from a client. Some have suggested that she is looking in the direction of the door, as her client barges in unannounced.

The painting deviates from the academic canon in its style, characterized by broad, quick brushstrokes, studio lighting that eliminates mid-tones, large color surfaces and shallow depth. Unlike the smooth idealized nude of Alexandre Cabanel's La naissance de Vénus, also painted in 1863, Olympia is a real woman whose nakedness is emphasized by the harsh lighting.[1] The canvas alone is 51.4 x 74.8 inches, which is rather large for this genre-style painting. Most paintings that were this size depicted historical or mythological events, so the size of the work, among other factors, caused surprise. Finally, Olympia is fairly thin by the artistic standards of the time and her relatively undeveloped body is more girlish than womanly. Charles Baudelaire thought thinness more indecent than fatness.[4]

The model for Olympia, Victorine Meurent, became an accomplished painter in her own right.

In part, the painting was inspired by Titian's Venus of Urbino (c. 1538), which in turn refers to Giorgione's Sleeping Venus (c. 1510). Léonce Bénédite was the first art historian to explicitly acknowledge the similarity to the Venus of Urbino in 1897.[6] There is also some similarity to Francisco Goya's La maja desnuda (c. 1800).[7]

There were also pictorial precedents for a nude woman, attended by a black servant, such as Ingres' Odalisque with a Slave (1842), Léon Benouville's Esther with Odalisque (1844) and Charles Jalabert's Odalisque (1842).[8] Comparison is also made to Ingres' Grande Odalisque (1814). Unlike other artists, Manet did not depict a goddess or an odalisque but a high-class prostitute waiting for a client.

Though Manet's The Luncheon on the Grass (Le déjeuner sur l'herbe) sparked controversy in 1863, his Olympia stirred an even bigger uproar when it was first exhibited at the 1865 Paris Salon. Conservatives condemned the work as "immoral" and "vulgar."[1] Journalist Antonin Proust later recalled, "If the canvas of the Olympia was not destroyed, it is only because of the precautions that were taken by the administration." The critics and the public condemned the work alike. Even Émile Zola was reduced to disingenuously commenting on the work's formal qualities rather than acknowledging the subject matter, "You wanted a nude, and you chose Olympia, the first that came along".[9] He paid tribute to Manet's honesty, however, "When our artists give us Venuses, they correct nature, they lie. Édouard Manet asked himself why lie, why not tell the truth; he introduced us to Olympia, this fille of our time, whom you meet on the sidewalks."

Though Manet's The Luncheon on the Grass (Le déjeuner sur l'herbe) sparked controversy in 1863, his Olympia stirred an even bigger uproar when it was first exhibited at the 1865 Paris Salon. Conservatives condemned the work as "immoral" and "vulgar."[1] Journalist Antonin Proust later recalled, "If the canvas of the Olympia was not destroyed, it is only because of the precautions that were taken by the administration." The critics and the public condemned the work alike. Even Émile Zola was reduced to disingenuously commenting on the work's formal qualities rather than acknowledging the subject matter, "You wanted a nude, and you chose Olympia, the first that came along".[9] He paid tribute to Manet's honesty, however, "When our artists give us Venuses, they correct nature, they lie. Édouard Manet asked himself why lie, why not tell the truth; he introduced us to Olympia, this fille of our time, whom you meet on the sidewalks."

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"Shocking" was the word used to describe Edouard Manet's masterpiece when it was first unveiled in Paris in 1865.

Although the nude body has been visual art's most enduring and universal subject, it has often spurred conflict. Olympia is a painting of a reclining nude woman, attended by a maid and a black cat, gazing mysteriously at the viewer. Why were visitors to the Paris gallery, already quite familiar with art featuring the naked body, so outraged by the painting that the gallery was forced to hire two policemen to protect the canvas? The objections to Olympia had more to do with the realism of the subject matter than the fact that the model was nude. While Olympia's pose had classic precedents, the subject of the painting represented a prostitute. In the painting, the maid offers the courtesan a bouquet of flowers, presumably a gift from a client, not the sort of scene previously depicted in the art of the era. Viewers weren't sure of Manet's motives. Was he trying to produce a serious work of art? Was Olympia an attempt to parody other paintings? Or, worst of all, was he mocking them?

Since composition was not his forte, Manet took it ready-made from the Venus of Urbino of Titian, hoping, no doubt, to shield himself from the critical brickbats by invoking Titian's name. As if this were not enough, he replaced the innocuous lapdog sleeping at the feet of Titian's Venus with a black cat, its back arched and tail raised. The black cat is often thought of as Satan's minion, and French chatte and English pussy designate precisely what Olympia's left-hand so emphatically refuses to the spectator's eye.

Modern scholars believe Manet's technique further inflamed the controversy surrounding Olympia. Rejecting his traditional art training, Manet chose instead to paint with bold brush strokes, implied shapes, and vigorous, simplified forms. Olympia shocked in every possible way, formally, morally, in terms of its subject matter. It had the whole range of outrage.

The Shock of the Nude presents a complex view of Manet. A member of Paris's upper-middle class, the artist was the only one of his contemporaries who didn't have to sell his paintings to earn a living. He enjoyed the benefits of his social position - living where he chose and keeping company with cultural icons of the time.

With all his privilege, Manet was still driven to prove himself to his father, who wanted his son to study law. The artist was an ambitious man, who also sought acceptance at the Salon, France's annual, government-sponsored art show, and the National Art Academy, the Academie des Beaux-Arts. In 1863 - the same year he painted Olympia - Manet submitted his painting Dejeuner sur l'herbe, or Luncheon on the Grass, to the Salon. This large, provocative painting, depicting clothed men picnicking outdoors with a naked woman, was rejected by the jury. When it was finally shown publicly that same year, it elicited a similarly negative response from the masses. Manet waited two years before submitting Olympia to the Salon.

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With Olympia, Manet reworked the traditional theme of the female nude, using a strong, uncompromising technique. Both the subject matter and its depiction explain the scandal caused by this painting at the 1865 Salon. Even though Manet quoted numerous formal and iconographic references, such as Titian's Venus of Urbino, Goya's Maja desnuda, and the theme of the odalisque with her black slave, already handled by Ingres among others, the picture portrays the cold and prosaic reality of a truly contemporary subject.

Venus has become a prostitute, challenging the viewer with her calculating look. This profanation of the idealized nude, the very foundation of academic tradition, provoked a violent reaction. Critics attacked the "yellow-bellied odalisque" whose modernity was nevertheless defended by a small group of Manet's contemporaries with Zola at their head.

In the 19th century many people were painting what they saw as "everyday life". Manet came from a more privileged class, yet he chose to portray the lower classes or the less desirable. Like Victor Hugo, Manet captured the real life people of Paris. This was not always a popular thing to do as was made evident by the fact that when Manet's painting, Olympia was hung, in 1863, viewers had to be physically restrained so that they would not to ruin it. The public was confused by such details as a black servant and a black cat but were mainly outraged by the nude courtesan who, with her pale skin almost becomes one with the bed. The fact that this woman, a courtesan, is given a face, was cause for a lot of uproar. It humanizes prostitution which was not, in a time where no one wanted to be reminded of the shadier side of life, a very popular thing to do.

Manet painted this picture with strong brush strokes many people considered this a childish and unskilled fashion of painting.
Manet based the composition of this painting on The Venus of Urbino, by Titan.
Olympia is the painting of a reclining nude woman , tended to by a maid while a black cat (far right) gazes mysteriously out at the viewer.
The maid is presenting Olympia with a gift of flowers, presumably a gift from a lover. This type of scene was not generally portrayed.
The French practice at the time suggested that women were to be modeled on historical, mythical or biblical themes.
Manet painted a woman of his time but not the ideal woman, a real woman, a courtesan.
The way in which this is painted, with the startling contrast between the dark of the background and the light of Olympia lying on her bed draws much attention to the subject of the painting.
Manet's model, Victorine Meurent, is depicted as a woman who's body is a commodity.
Although middle and bourgeoisie gentlemen did frequent courtesans they did not want to be confronted with one in an art gallery.
Olympia is a real woman, flaws and all who stares out from the canvas at us, confronting us with an unwavering glance. This in itself was a cause for outrage because this woman dares to stare out, meeting the eye. It was scandalous for a woman in general, let alone a courtesan, to be so brazen as to stare directly at anyone.
Olympia's only adornment consists of shoes, a bracelet, a flower in her hair and a string around her neck.
She looks almost bored at the prospect of another gift, suggesting that this is not a first time occurrence or something to be overly excited about.

Representing a lower-class prostitute, Manet's Olympia confronts the bourgeois viewer with a hidden, but well-known, reality. Purposefully provocative, it shocked the viewers of the 1865 Salon. Olympia's references to Titan's Venus of Urbino (1538) and Goya's Maja Desnuda (1799-1800) fit easily into the traditional "boudoir" genre, yet they culminate in a rather informal and individual portrait of a woman unashamed of her body. It is popularly thought that Olympia is a pictorial depiction of passages from Baudelaire's famous collection of poems called Les Fleurs du Mal (1857). For instance, Manet rather overtly includes a black cat, symbolizing heightened sexuality and prostitution - a characteristically Baudelarian symbol.

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Crucial works of this theme are ‘The Birth of Venus’ by Botticelli, ‘Venus of Urbino’ by Titian (Uffizi Gallery) and ‘Sleeping Venus’ by Giorgione (Dresden Gallery), which are represented in the etchings from the State Hermitage collection. These masterpieces gave rise to the most important European art image of beautiful nudity, the gradual transformation of which led to the emergence of ‘Olympia’ three and a half centuries later.

The theme of female nudity is represented at the exhibition by an outstanding work ‘Danae’ by Titian, twenty engravings of works of the great Venetian and French artists of XVII-XIX centuries and a picture by Francois Boucher from the State Hermitage collection. The later references to the image of a naked woman made by masters of romanticism and the Salon of Fine Arts make it possible to evaluate Manet’s courage in overcoming the Salon and academic routines and his incredible breakthrough towards the truth of new painting. It is appropriate to identify all the works at the Hermitage exhibition as the genre of nude, judging only by absence of clothes, no matter what characters are depicted.

‘Olympia’ was preceded by ‘Nymph Surprised’ (1859–1861, Museum of Fine Arts, Buenos Aires) – Manet’s first life-sized work in the genre of nude, and ‘The Luncheon on the Grass’ which caused an uproar in the famous Salon des Refusés in 1863. Manet started ‘Olympia’ after having finished ‘The Luncheon on the Grass’. The artist was looking for a new way of introducing a model in a composition that would not be a repetition, despite all the lessons learnt from Titian works. The main guarantee was to be ensured by the model itself, for Victorine Meurent with her originality differed from the ‘appropriate’ and banal models who met the requirements of current taste.

The image of a naked woman on an untidy bed, a black maid holding a bouquet, and a cat, not veiled by any Greek or Roman myth, opposed familiar works of nude genre. Olympia, who is selling her love, receives a huge bouquet – a gift from a client. The last character, a black cat with arched back is another ambiguous symbol. A French word chatte (cat) stood for venal love. While Titian’s Venus is accompanied by a small house dog symbolizing fidelity, Manet replaced this animal with a cat ‘that walks by herself’.

Manet presented ‘Olympia’ at the Salon of 1865, where it caused a scandal, as the audience and critics saw the painting as a blatant violation of the propriety, and its display – as an insolent provocation. According to the rules, a painting that was allowed to be exposed by the jury, could not be removed before the end of the Salon. Fearing that angry viewers may damage the picture, the management put two guards to protect it. No picture, publicly displayed before, caused such amount of caricatures and visual feedback as ‘Olympia’ did.

‘Olympia’, its theme and composition, attracted Manet’s interest for long time after the Salon of 1865. Two years later he returned to its variations in engravings, and one year after he used its image as a background detail in a ‘Portrait of Emile Zola’ (1868, Musée d'Orsay). This portrait was given to the writer as a gift for his skilful defense of Manet’s reputation, undertaken after the Salon, though. During painter’s life ‘Olympia’ never went on display again and was kept in the master’s studio. Nobody bought it and it was removed from the post-mortem sale.

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