Olympia

Title: Olympia

Artist: Edoaurd Manet

Location: Musee d’Orsay

Date: 1863

Size: 130 cm tall, 190 cm wide

Medium: Oil on Canvas

Other Sources: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/cultureshock/flashpoints/visualarts/olympia.html

http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/manet/

http://www.musee-orsay.fr/index.php?id=851&L=1&tx_commentaire_pi1%5BshowUid%5D=7087&no_cache=1

Photo: Lisa Lyon

Significance of the work:

While Olympia herself was not a goddess, Manet’s controversial painting is an excellent illustration of how the ancient gods and goddesses affected artists in the more modern eras. Olympia was directly inspired by Titian’s Venus of Urbino. While Venus is often portrayed in the nude, Manet’s decision to paint a prostitute naked shocked the world of art at the time. Manet is credited as an important factor in transitioning 19^th century art from Realism to Impressionism.