Edouard Manet
1832 - 1883
Olympia
1863
| Manet shocked the Parisian Art world by submitting Olympia, in which his lover and model, Victorine Meurent was depicted. Art critics declared it a 'female gorilla' and a 'gamy courtesan' because it protrayed a woman who was not just nude but 'naked'! She looked like a courtesan about to entertain her next customer who had sent up the flowers. The cat (see below for a clearer view) was considered to be a sign of Satan. It was refused by the salon but it made Manet famous. It is now the possession of the French State. |
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