Some of the best paintings were made using oil paint. The most realistic ones were by the great artists from the Renaissance. The subjects for the works made during this era were essentially religious, evolving around concepts with an abundance of cherubs, biblical characters, gods and goddesses.
Nudes with both men and women are a favorite subject with themes revolving around religion. A goddess in particular that has graced so many notable works is Venus. Traditional Renaissance works make a point that brush strokes are not evident and the anatomical representation as accurate as possible. These conventions were challenged by Manet with his oil painting Olympia.
The thing is that he made a mockery out of the Venus of Urbino painting . Although this stand against conventionality spurred a more modern take on art. Olympia has a great story behind it which makes the work very revolutionary. It was Manet showing the honesty of human beauty on canvas. It was as if he was saying that we are humans so why not look upon our own beauty and not that of goddesses.
One huge reason why this painting caused such an uproar was because he replaced the goddess with a prostitute. Olympia is a common name for a courtesan, a more prominent and highly paid sex worker. To do this was an act of blasphemy in a sense. Manet saw it as honesty that 1865 France did not want to face.
Manet probably was not doing this for shock value. Notice that this is no ordinary prostitute since she has a servant handing her some flowers. The flowers look like they came from a suitor or a patron. Nudes then of goddesses and historical figures were not vulgar, but rather, coy. This one, in particular, was a great exception at the time.
The question now remains to be the difference between traditional nudes of Venus versus what Manet made. The goddess was always painted with divine perfection barely showing any flaw and you never really see any of them looking directly at you. Now, with Manet and his prostitute, the discomfort comes from the naked woman looking directly at the viewer.
This feature is not the only thing that makes it sexual. Notice that there are barely any details on shadow and contrary to what was conventional at the time, brush strokes can be clearly seen. It was as if the artist wanted people to make sure they knew they were looking at a painting. What makes it eternally captivating is the honesty that viewers are forced to see.
Essentially art was always made to rattle the comforts of its viewers and comfort those that live within the insanity of their reality. This work in particular is a great first step towards more modern styles and a come back towards abstract art. You could not call it purely traditional since the subject and its background do not have the shadowing that was common to works that were made during the era.
Revolutionary is what this piece became when released to the public during its time. And like any work made for that purpose, was met with disdain, laughter and criticism. Manet effectively broke tradition and was unapologetic about showing his perspective on reality. France of 1865 was not ready to face the truth that the goddess they come to know has been reduced into a courtesan, especially one that stares you dead straight in the eye.
Nudes with both men and women are a favorite subject with themes revolving around religion. A goddess in particular that has graced so many notable works is Venus. Traditional Renaissance works make a point that brush strokes are not evident and the anatomical representation as accurate as possible. These conventions were challenged by Manet with his oil painting Olympia.
The thing is that he made a mockery out of the Venus of Urbino painting . Although this stand against conventionality spurred a more modern take on art. Olympia has a great story behind it which makes the work very revolutionary. It was Manet showing the honesty of human beauty on canvas. It was as if he was saying that we are humans so why not look upon our own beauty and not that of goddesses.
One huge reason why this painting caused such an uproar was because he replaced the goddess with a prostitute. Olympia is a common name for a courtesan, a more prominent and highly paid sex worker. To do this was an act of blasphemy in a sense. Manet saw it as honesty that 1865 France did not want to face.
Manet probably was not doing this for shock value. Notice that this is no ordinary prostitute since she has a servant handing her some flowers. The flowers look like they came from a suitor or a patron. Nudes then of goddesses and historical figures were not vulgar, but rather, coy. This one, in particular, was a great exception at the time.
The question now remains to be the difference between traditional nudes of Venus versus what Manet made. The goddess was always painted with divine perfection barely showing any flaw and you never really see any of them looking directly at you. Now, with Manet and his prostitute, the discomfort comes from the naked woman looking directly at the viewer.
This feature is not the only thing that makes it sexual. Notice that there are barely any details on shadow and contrary to what was conventional at the time, brush strokes can be clearly seen. It was as if the artist wanted people to make sure they knew they were looking at a painting. What makes it eternally captivating is the honesty that viewers are forced to see.
Essentially art was always made to rattle the comforts of its viewers and comfort those that live within the insanity of their reality. This work in particular is a great first step towards more modern styles and a come back towards abstract art. You could not call it purely traditional since the subject and its background do not have the shadowing that was common to works that were made during the era.
Revolutionary is what this piece became when released to the public during its time. And like any work made for that purpose, was met with disdain, laughter and criticism. Manet effectively broke tradition and was unapologetic about showing his perspective on reality. France of 1865 was not ready to face the truth that the goddess they come to know has been reduced into a courtesan, especially one that stares you dead straight in the eye.
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