Ana Badia Tejero
Womenswear 1 C

OLYMPIA by ÉDOUARD MANET (1863).
The image I am about to describe is a painting of large dimensions (130cm x 190cm). The focal point of this painting is a reclining nude female wearing nothing but a pair of shoes, a bracelet on her right hand, a black string tied around her neck and a pink flower in her hair. She is positioned on a bed with white sheets and pillows, in a reclined posture with crossed legs with her right hand supporting her against a pillow whilst her left one rests on her thigh. At the subject's feet, there stands a black cat on a hankerchief featuring a floral motif . Behind the woman, a second woman stands wearing a white turban and dress, holding a bouquet of flowers. The background of the image is made up of brown walls and green curtains. The artist makes use of imprecise brushtrokes combined with a sharp contrast of lights and darks. Effectively, this painting is the work of the precursor to Modernism, Édouard Manet. The piece, entitled Olympia, was painted in 1863. The painting was first unveiled in 1865 at the Salon in Paris. It is currently located at the Musée d'Orsay, Paris. Olympia was presented along with a second piece, Christ Scourged. The former was met with ridicule, disdain and criticism from the Parisian audience. At the time of the painting’s submission, art critics and the general public had a very traditional expectation of the female nude and Manet's Olympia defied those expectations. Olympia's eyes also appeared to be looking directly at the viewer, rendering her stare provocative if not challenging. Olympia presented all the attributes of a courtesan as opposed to those of a more traditional deity. These are the attributes that caused all the outrage amongst art critics and the general public. Manet was introducing a new concept, replacing the immortal and divine goddess, Venus, with a mortal, a courtesan. Though this allusion was not apparent at the time. Of the many reviews