Le déjeuner sur l'herbe (1863)
Related: Édouard Manet - modern art - succès de scandale - 1863
In 1863, nudes were acceptable in historical and allegorical paintings, but to show them in common settings was forbidden. The nude in Manet's painting was no nymph, or mythological being ... she was a modern Parisian women cast into a contemporary setting with two clothed man. Many found this to be quite vulgar.
Le déjeuner sur l'herbe (1863) - Édouard Manet
Description
The Luncheon on the Grass (Le déjeuner sur l'herbe), originally titled The Bath (Le Bain), is an oil on canvas painting by Édouard Manet. Painted between 1862 and 1863 it measures 208 by 264.5 cm. The juxtaposition of a female nude with fully dressed men sparked controversy when the work first exhibited at the Salon des Refusés in 1863. The piece is now in the Musée d'Orsay, Paris.
Commenting on the work in 1867, Emile Zola wrote:
"Painters, and especially Édouard Manet, who is an analytic painter, do not share the masses' obsession with the subject: to them, the subject is only a pretext to paint, whereas for the masses only the subject exists."--http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Luncheon_on_the_Grass [Jan 2006]
Controversy
In 1863, the jury rejected The Luncheon on the Grass (Le déjeuner sur l'herbe) by Édouard Manet primarily because it depicted a nude woman with two clothed men on a picnic. According to the jury nudes were acceptable in historical and allegorical paintings, but to show them in common settings was forbidden. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impressionism#Beginnings [Jan 2006]
Anti-academic and politically suspect
[I]ronically, however, it was not Spanish Guitar Player which brought him his much sought after recognition but the rejected Dejeuner sur l'herbe (1863). The Salon jury of 1863 had been exceptionally brutal and thousands of paintings had been refused. To counter these refusals, the Salon des Refuses was established and it was here that Dejeuner sur l'herbe (also known as the Luncheon on the Grass) was exhibited. Although influenced by Raphael and Giorgione, Dejeuner did not bring Manet laurels and accolades. It brought criticism. Critics found Dejeuner to be anti-academic and politically suspect and the ensuing fire storm surrounding this painting has made Le Dejeuner sur l'herbe a benchmark in academic discussions of modern art. The nude in Manet's painting was no nymph, or mythological being...she was a modern Parisian women cast into a contemporary setting with two clothed man. Many found this to be quite vulgar and begged the question "Who's for lunch?" The critics also had much to say about Manet's technical abilities. His harsh frontal lighting and elimination of mid tones rocked ideas of traditional academic training. And yet, it is also important to understand that not everyone criticized Manet, for it was also Dejeuner which set the stage for the advent of Impressionism. -- Lisa MacDonald, http://www.artchive.com/artchive/M/manet.html [Jul 2004]Inspiration
The Judgment of Paris (c.1510) - Raphael
Marcantonio Raimondi engraving after Raphael
The composition of The Judgment of Paris, a scene with river gods in an engraving (c. 1510) by Marcantonio Raimondi (after a drawing by Raphael), inspired Manet's Déjeuner sur l'herbe (1863).
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