Whose Birthday Is It? January 23, 2019

Édouard Manet (1832)

One of the foremost French artists of the 19th century, Manet is often regarded as the father of modern painting. Rebelling against the academic tradition, he developed a realist style that was one of the founding forces of Impressionism. Although his talent is recognized today, Manet was often greeted with harsh criticism during his career, including for his paintings Le déjeuner sur l’herbe—The Luncheon on the Grass—and Olympia. Why were the paintings controversial? More…