Manet's painting "Olympia" from 1863 depicts a reclining nude woman who is implied to be a modern-day prostitute based on cues from the painting. While referencing classical nudes from artists like Titian and Goya, Manet's portrayal shocked critics for depicting the "cold and prosaic reality" of a contemporary subject rather than an idealized nude. The woman makes direct eye contact with the viewer, challenging conventions and provoking a violent reaction for profaning the traditional nude. The painting marked the beginning of modern art by depicting unidealized contemporary reality rather than mythological or symbolic figures.
2. ... in a crude light, Venus has become a prostitute, challenging the viewer with her calculating look
this profanation of the idealized nude provoked a violent reaction: critics attacked the "yellow-bellied odalisque"
4. … feminine nude cultivated by Titian, Giorgione, Goya,
the odalisque with her black slave by Ingres
found their legitimacy under a mythological cover, allegorical or symbolic
the character of Manet does not meet these criteria
It is, very clearly, a prostitute who is waiting for his client ... the viewer?
15. a servant stares at the young women suggestively,
bringing her a bouquet-perhaps a gift
from an admirer, or even a client
18. the little cat with a green sharp glance, a perked tail,
is often perceived an as erotic allusion
that reinforces the licentious atmosphere of the scene
23. the Manet’s Olympia pose it is rather less lascivious than those
of the models borrowed from Manet’s illustrious predecessors :
Giorgione’s Dresden Venus, Titian Urbino’s Venus
34. the blue blanket reveals a corner of its quilted lining… Yellow
under the cover of purity (blue) lies a prostitute (yellow)
… an extremely male-chauvinistic 19th-century view of womanhood
44. the Giorgione model has her eyes shut –
being offered to the lust of the male observe
our Olympia with Manet, in a crude light, stares at the spectator
54. Olympia
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.
Olympia and its scandal mark the birth of modern art, giving way to a painting inspired by an unidealised
contemporary reality.