115. Olympia. Edouard Manet. 1863 CE Oil on canvas.

• Form and Content
  • Olympia’s frank, direct, uncaring, and unnerving look startled viewers
  • The figure is cold and uninviting; no mystery, no joy
  • No idealization of the female nude
  • The maid delivers flowers from an admirer; a cat responds to our entry into the room
  • Simplified modeling; active brushwork
  • Stark contrast of colors
• Reception
  • Exhibited at the Salon of 1865; created a scandal
• Context
  • Olympia was a common prostitute name of the time
  • A mistress was common to upper-class Parisian men, often sympathetically portrayed in contemporary literature, but never so brazenly depicted as in this painting
  • The painting is inspired by Titian's Venus of Urbino and seen as a modern commentary on the classical feminine nude
  • This painting is a reaction to academic art that was based on Renaissance and classical ideals
  • Images of prostitutes and black women are not new with this painting, but Manet creates a dialogue between the nude prostitute and the clothed black servant, named Laure, which brings up issues of sexuality, racism, and stereotypes