Edouard Manet

Manet, Edouard (1832–83), French painter. Influenced by Goya and Velazquez, his work, in broad, flat areas of color, introduced a new pictorial language, and was often severely criticized by the art establishment, who considered his subject matter and technique heresy. His paintings Olympia, a nude courtesan, and Luncheon on the Grass, a nude woman and a partially dressed woman lunching in the woods with 2 clothed men (both 1863 Louvre), were thought scandalously bold. He strongly influenced the impressionists, though he did not employ their techniques and refused to exhibit with them. Another major work is The Fife Player (1866).