Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Reasons Why The Oil Painting Olympia By Manet Is Revolutionary

By Timothy Moore


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.

Venus was a favorite subject especially when portraying nudes. Another notable thing with traditional art is how they are so incredibly life like. Pieces made during this time barely showed brush strokes even when painting using oil, which is a very thick medium. Manet was that one artist that defied all things traditional with his oil painting Olympia.

The thing with late Renaissance art was that it was very heavily rooted to technique and how well it was able to portray anatomy and physics of the objects in the painting. This piece by Manet was essentially a parody of Venus of Urbino, notable for its subject, the goddess Venus laying on a chair like bed in the nude. Nudes then were not at all seen as lewd, but this artwork by Manet was an exception.

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.

Now you may think this chick was your run off the mill girl, but as you can see she had a servant. This entails that the subject was of a higher position in the job that she holds. The servant also holds a bouquet which seemingly comes from a patron. What shocked people during the era when this work was released was how vulgar the piece was.

It gives you the impression that this era of France was hung up on the convoluted perception of beauty and the standard was that of royalty or deity. One thing that makes the subject stand out is how it deliberately stares at you, straight in the eye, as if it was coaxing you for looking at her. Most nudes of Venus made during this time always had the subject looking away, if even at all.

The rawness and honesty was not welcomed by the its viewers, although its revolutionary nature made the piece an obra maestra. The painter wanted to make sure that there is little visual depth to really emphasize to its viewers that this was artwork and not something you use to blur the lines between what is real and imagination.

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.

Just like anything unconventional, Olympia was met with jeers, laughter and so much criticism. Manet was as much a painter as he was a revolutionist. His honesty regarding aesthetic and his personal interpretation of beauty was bold and this shook the art community of 1865 France. This artworks is one of many pieces reminding people that a single act of revolt as non violent as an image on a canvas can turn the world.




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