084

  • Charles Baudelaire, Full Face III

  • Dated 1865 but prepared 1868 for 1869 publication
  • Édouard Manet (French 1832-1883), printed by Atelier Salmon
  • Etching and aquatint
  • 9.5 x 8.2 cm., 3-13/16 x 3-1/4" image
  • Catherine Carter Goebel, Paul A. Anderson Chair in the Arts Purchase, Paul A. Anderson Art History Collection, Augustana College 2002.5

Essay by Nikki Kromphardt, Class of 2005 and Amanda Greenlee, Class of 2014 and Catherine Carter Goebel, Editor and Professor of Art History

During the course of their friendship, Charles Baudelaire and édouard Manet were pioneers for artistic modernity, in part in reaction against the belief that art should be timeless and classical. Such traditional conservative views discouraged artists from creating contemporary subjects in their paintings which might specifically date them, presumably rendering them meaningless to future generations. This etched portrait of Baudelaire by Manet is the fourth state of four, entitled Charles Baudelaire, Full Face III.

Manet began this etching in 1865, while Baudelaire was still in Brussels, and he completed the fourth state in 1868, following his death. The first state of the etching is unadorned, and Baudelaire's face is clearly lit and visible. Manet completed the second two states during Baudelaire's mental decline. They predict the impending sense of loss, evident in the inclusion of memorial scrolls, inscribed with Baudelaire's name and embellished with flowers. Manet also added dramatic chiaroscuro (contrast of light and shadow) to the image which caused Baudelaire's eyes to appear shrunken, emphasizing his skull-like forehead. In this fourth and final state, published after Baudelaire's death, viewers sense the memento mori (reminder of death) tribute through which Manet commemorated his close friend (Harris 187-190).

The fourth state etching was exhibited at the Salon of 1869 and published in the same year in a biography on the poet (Harris 190). The final version of Manet's portrait of Baudelaire effectively communicates the deep-thinking theorist whose life ended far too soon. He wears the topcoat and cravat of the bourgeoisie (middle class). His influence was immense as his criticism fueled the Realist and Impressionist movements and his controversial book of poems, Les Fleurs du mal (1857), helped inspire late nineteenth-century Symbolism.

The history behind this piece illustrates the relationship between the artist, édouard Manet, and the poet and critic, Charles Baudelaire. Both of these men pioneered artistic modernity through their respective artwork. Most artists of this time aimed for timeless depictions. Manet and Baudelaire, on the other hand, saw the value of depicting their own environs. In an 1846 Salon review, Baudelaire urged his contemporaries to note the world around them, suggesting they should be of their time: "Parisian life is rich in poetic and wonderful subjects. The marvelous envelopes and saturates us like atmosphere; but we fail to see it" (Baudelaire 52-53) Manet responded to his friend's advice and displays the writer, in bourgeois attire, with deep thought and emotion carved into his face. This is perhaps owing to the fact that this final state was completed following the death of Baudelaire, as a sort of posthumous tribute, and thus also demonstrates the deep loss felt by Manet.