Manet, Peintre-Philosophe: A Study of the Painter's Themes

Current interest in the unexplored iconography of early modern art has led to many suggestive interpretations of the work of Manet. Recent scholarship has given us partial answers to the problems posed by his art through investigations of single images or isolated aspects of his creative processes. This study examines the full range of Manet's production with special emphasis on those masterworks which established his reputation - Le Dejeuner sur I'herbe and Olympia.In an analysis that explores Manet's relationship to his visual and literary sources, popular imagery, and culture, the author establishes a challenging insight into a complex creative personality. As a result, Manet's early stylistic innovations are revealed as inseparable from his thematic content and the problem of its communication. By his perception of fundamental and timeless themes beneath the rich variety of Manet's imagery of modern life, Professor Mauner has been able to regroup the pictures along thematic lines and arrive at an image of the artist quite different from the familiar one.