The works differ in gestures of the models - Titian's Venus is practically a godly entity and covers her intimate parts in gentle and restless manner, while Manet’s Olympia does it in order to underline her sexual and economic independence from man. Édouard Manet was quite fascinated by the works of Titian, so this iconic painting was composed on the basis of Venus of Urbino painted by this Venetian master in 1538. The Influences Behind Edouard Manet Olympia Olympia’s nudity is well-accentuated and possesses almost a photographic quality, and her body is much more girlish than womanly, a fact that also contributed to the general impression of the painting. In addition to that is the size of the canvas, which was much larger than what was usual for this genre-style painting. The piece was painted in a fresh manner characterized by quick brushstrokes, studio lighting, large colored surfaces and shallow depth, and the whole approach was unconventional since Manet abandoned the academic conventions. Interestingly so, despite all the fuss painting provoked in 1890, the French government acquired Olympia after a public subscription led by Claude Monet. In relation to that is the fact that the very name Olympia was associated with sex workers in 1860s Paris. The daring look of a shameless woman caused quite a stir and the public considered this painting indecent since it displayed a sex worker in her boudoir. It represents a nude woman in a leisure pose with a servant bringing flowers Manet's Olympia painting was embodied by Victorine Meurent (who later became an accomplished painter), while art model Laure posed as her servant. This highly controversial composition was painted in 1863 and was exposed to the public for the first time two years later at the Paris Salon. Manet's Olympia, as one of his most celebrated paintings, shook the society and made a huge impact on the upcoming generations of artists. By introducing Impressionism along with other artists as a truly innovative art movement based on the radical rejection of traditional academic routine, this prolific artist managed to establish a bold and multilayered practice. One of the figures who inaugurated modernism to the history of art is the renowned French painter Édouard Manet.

Alias Olympia by Eunice Lipton