The Impressionists - Edouard Manet Biography

Born January 23, 1832 in Paris, France. The son of an official at the Ministry of Justice, Édouard Manet was expected to pursue a career in law though he expressed a desire to become a painter. He compromised with his father and settled on a career in the navy, but Édouard failed to pass the naval academy’s entrance exam. Thus in 1850, the young Manet began studying art under Thomas Couture, with whom he remained until 1856. He also traveled extensively throughout Europe to study and copy works by the Old Masters.

In 1859, Édouard Manet submitted his first work to Paris’ prestigious art show, the Salon. The painting was titled The Absinthe Drinker, and though it was conceptually daring, it was rejected. Two years later, the Salon gave honorable mention to his Spanish Singer, which also won the acclaim of the poet Théophile Gautier. It was Manet's last critical success for many years.

Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe (1863)
© Edimédia/CORBIS

In 1863, Édouard Manet showed 14 paintings at the Martinet Gallery, including his now-famous Music in the Tuileries. The contemporary subject matter combined with his renegade style met with unprecedented hostility. That year the Salon rejected his large-scale Luncheon on the Grass, which Manet decided to display instead at Salon des Refusés, a show that was created in response to the large number of painters whose work had been turned away from the official Salon. The painting invoked resounding criticism, a reaction that Manet would encounter for years to come.

Olympia (1863)
Courtesy of Art Resource

Two years, Édouard Manet met with a still more violent response when his Olympia debuted at the Salon. To escape the harsh criticism, Manet traveled briefly to Spain, where he admired the works of one of his idols, Diego Velázquez. Manet also drew comfort from two of his most ardent supporters, Charles Baudelaire and Émile Zola. Both men wrote articles in defense of the artist, unabashedly praising Manet and his work.

In 1868 at his own expense, Édouard Manet exhibited 50 of his works at the Paris World’s Fair. The artist believed that if his paintings were viewed together, they would be more readily understood. Though Manet largely eschewed religious painting and believed that artists had a responsibility to paint what they saw in their own time, he did produce two famous religious works, Dead Christ with Angels and Christ Mocked by the Soldiers. Both paintings were shown at the Salon and ridiculed for their alleged lack of piety and vigorous realism. The painter also produced two well-known historical works, Naval Battle between the Kearsarge and the Alabama (1864) and The Execution of Emperor Maximilian of Mexico (1867).

Although Édouard Manet influenced the Impressionists during the 1860s, he remained essentially a figure and studio painter. He did however incorporate tenets from the Impressionists, including a lighter palette and more rapid stroke. And though the public associated Manet with the Impressionists, he never exhibited with them at their series of private exhibitions, which began in 1874. Manet did form a lasting friendship with the female Impressionist Berthe Morisot, whom he met in 1868. She posed for him several times, notably for The Balcony (1869) and Repose (c. 1870). In 1874, Morisot married Manet's younger brother, Eugéne, also a painter.

Édouard Manet finally received the praise he had gone so long without with Le Bon Bock in 1873. The jovial painting was in contrast to his usually austere figures and was incredibly popular. Subsequent paintings continued to mix bright colors with stark figures, creating an undeniable sense of mystery. These works include Brasserie Reichshoffen and his last major work, A Bar at the Folies-Bergère (1881-1882). In the latter, a barmaid remains enigmatic and aloof even amidst a profusion of colors and a brilliant atmosphere.

Throughout his life, Édouard Manet had coveted a membership in the Legion of Honor and was finally granted his wish in 1881. It was during this time that his health began to fail him, and in his weakened condition he turned to pastels, which were easier for him to handle. He died in Paris on April 30, 1883. He was survived by his wife, Dutch pianist Suzanne Leenhoff, whom he married in 1863.

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