Edouard Manet was born on January 23, 1832 in Paris. Although his family supported him in the field of law, his interest was always in art. Edouard applied to the Naval War School at the request of his father but could not pass the exam. Later he entered the Maritime Fleet and set out for Brazil in 1948. He was quite surprised at what he saw on this journey and said in his letters: "All the black people in this country are slaves; they are always victimized; whites' trust in them is incredible; I saw a slave market that was disgusting to people like us. ''
When Manet returned to his country a year later, he convinced his father and started to become an artist. Manet started going to the studio of the artist Thomas Couture in Paris.
In this period, the circle of friends consisted of literati and artists living in the sophisticated life of Paris.
The 19th century French art was led by the romantic painter Eugene Delacroix, who returned to contemporary and exotic literary references such as Byron, instead of the classical approach favored by French scholars for the theme.
MAlthough Manet does not consider himself an Impressionist, artists such as Monet, Sisley and Renoir, who led the Impressionist revolution, received his support.
He wanted so much that Manet paintings were accepted by Salon and received positive criticism. His painting Le Dejeuner sur l 'Herbe was not accepted by Salon, but he signed a scandal. The table was exhibited in Salon des Refuses, which is the Alternstif of Salon. The problem with this unusual painting was that women were naked and men were dressed. The Parisian men in the picture appeared as a classic Parisian, but the woman was naked. Manet opposed traditions by portraying real people in a modern world. Ernest Chesneau accused Manet of trying to gain fame by surprising the bourgeoisie. Manet, on the other hand, said that even though it was an old painting, men could draw nudes just like women. This picture helped Manet gain fame.
Manet died on April 30, 1883. He has left many unique works of art history until this date.
Source: Büyük Ressamlar, Manet, Beta Yayıncılık, 2015, İstanbul