2023-10-02 18:46:03
‘It’s a very rich story’: the complicated connection between Manet and Degas | Art and design
In addition to being contemporaries who each produced impressive masterpieces that played a significant role in the development of Impressionism, French painters Édouard Manet and Edgar Degas had complex personal and professional relationships. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has curated a new exhibit titled Manet/Degas, which combines loans from the Musee D’Orsay and other institutions with its own collection to delve into this relationship. The exhibition offers a rare opportunity for audiences to view world-famous paintings in the US.
Sinéad O'Connor: Irish Singer of 'Nothing Compares 2 U' Passes Away at 56 - UpdatedHeadlining the exhibition is Manet's groundbreaking work Olympia, which is making its first-ever trip to America, 158 years after its initial exhibition at the 1865 Paris Salon. On the other hand, Degas' painting Scene of War in the Middle Ages, exhibited at the same Salon, went completely unnoticed. This stark contrast highlights the different reception each artist received.
Manet's Olympia: A Shocking Success
Olympia caused a scandal when it was first displayed, as it portrayed a sex worker staring boldly at the viewer. The painting propelled Manet into the spotlight and played a significant role in the break from artistic convention that the Impressionism movement sought. According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Stephan Wolohojian, Olympia has only left Paris twice, making its presence in the exhibition extraordinary.
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While Manet continued to showcase his works at the Salons, Degas faced challenges with his painting Scene of War in the Middle Ages. Degas' historical piece failed to capture attention. Curator Ashley Dunn explains that Degas yearned for recognition at the Salon, while Manet's success overshadowed his own.
The Uneven Relationship
Despite their divergent paths, Manet and Degas served as both rivals and inspirations to each other. Manet, an outsider to the Impressionist movement, significantly influenced its aesthetic. The exhibition explores how their individual exhibition strategies differed, with Manet remaining loyal to the Salons and Degas seeking the inclusion of Manet in the Impressionist group.
Get Your Daily Dose of Laughs with @larrydeancomedy's Hilarious Original Sound Bites!Manet and Degas occupied the same Parisian milieu, often crossing paths with cultural elites like Charles Baudelaire, Émile Zola, and Henri Fantin-Latour at salons. The exhibition reveals how the two artists defended Paris during the Franco-Prussian war, serving in the National Guard and drawing inspiration from the experience for their subsequent artworks.
An Uneven Distribution of Portraits
Interestingly, Degas made numerous portraits of Manet, while records indicate that Manet did not create any portraits of Degas. This disparity is notable considering Manet's penchant for painting friends, artists, and writers.
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The exhibition also highlights a turbulent incident involving a portrait of Manet and his wife Suzanne that Degas painted. Manet vandalized the artwork, and it was returned to Degas, who retaliated by giving back a painting Manet had gifted him. The slashed double-portrait became an intriguing symbol of their relationship, with Degas prominently displaying it in his apartment.
The Legendary First Meeting
The exhibition emphasizes the legendary first encounter between Manet and Degas at the Louvre in the early 1860s. As the story goes, Manet saw Degas working on a copy of a Velasquez painting and commented on the audacity of creating an etching directly without a preparatory drawing. Both artists later made copies of the same painting, the order of which remains unknown.
Laughing It Up in San Fran: Larry Dean's Hilarious Stand-up Comedy Game Show!Manet/Degas showcases the unique strengths of each artist while emphasizing the profound differences between them. The exhibition highlights the importance of the Paris Salons in their respective careers and the impact of their shared experiences. It also examines their early training and self-education through copying works by Velasquez.
The exhibition, meticulously curated with contributions from over 50 institutions and collectors, has been a source of excitement for visitors. The opportunity to see Olympia for the first time in the US has brought joy to art enthusiasts. The exhibition prompts us to reflect on the human excitement that art can evoke.
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