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  • L'Olympia

  • After 1865 painting, 1926
  • After Édouard Manet (French 1832-1883) by Jaques Villon (French 1875-1963)
  • Aquatint in colors, backed with parchment paper
  • 47.4 x 58.5 cm., 16 x 23" image
  • Gift of Private Collection of Luis R. Ubillus and Alex M. Adelman through Catherine Carter Goebel, Paul A. Anderson Chair in the Arts, Paul A. Anderson Art History Collection, Augustana College 2010.54

Essay by Katherine E. Goebel, Assistant Editor

Often deemed the "Father of Modernism," Édouard Manet played a pivotal role in transitioning the Western art world from one of academic traditions and standards to one of individual direction and interpretation (Rabinow). His painting, Olympia of 1865, is an exceptional example of deviation from the art historical canon. With a recognized prostitute set as the main attraction, the composition makes no apologies for the lifestyle portrayed. Being served flowers from a gentleman caller as she strikingly challenges the viewer's gaze, we are abruptly aware not of the classical nudity before us, but of the nakedness this common woman splays.

Her pose heavily recalls Renaissance painter Titian's Venus of Urbino of 1538, deeming this painting as, at the very least, in conversation with past masters. However, we are not looking at a goddess, or admiring the beauty of the female form. Instead, we are peering at the modern Venus' vulnerable flesh, a human form not being recognized for its splendor, but rather as a means of sustenance for the prostitute. The painting caused a great scandal upon being accepted into the Paris Salon in 1865 because of its blunt sexuality and frank portrayal.

This painting, along with his controversial Luncheon on the Grass of 1863, gave Manet a great deal of recognition, be it positive or negative. He situated himself as a deviant in terms of his original, unconventional subject matter. Prostitutes, seen as practically bottom rung on the ladder of social classes, had infiltrated the decadent Salon, walls normally adorned with conservative academic paintings. Thus, Manet had made his mark, inspiring future generations of artists with his nonstandard tactics and innovative style.

One of these artists is quite obviously Jacques Villon, a French painter and printmaker, who chose to copy Olympia in the form of a color aquatint. Artists such as Manet, Edgar Degas and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec initially inspired Villon's artistic career, before he later opted for the Fauvist, Cubist and abstract Impressionist movements. Aquatint is a medium that belongs to the intaglio family of printmaking. It serves as a variant of etching in which the printmaker makes marks on a copper or zinc plate to which the ink may then be transferred. The flatness and broad planes of color evident in Olympia translate quite nicely to Villon's aquatint, deeming the later version both a nod to the successes of Manet, the legacy he left behind and its ability to remain relevant long after its birth.