Compare Manet’s Olympia to Millais’s Ophelia. Discuss how each work represents the artist and his period
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To compare Manet's Olympia and Millais's Ophelia, we need to analyze their artistic styles, subject matter, and how they represent their respective artists and periods.
1. Manet's Olympia:
- Style: Manet was a key figure in the transition from realism to impressionism. His style emphasized the use of loose brushstrokes, unconventional compositions, and flatness.
- Subject Matter: Olympia portrays a female, a subject that was considered scandalous and unconventional at the time. The painting depicts a courtesan lying on a bed with a cat at her feet and a black servant presenting her flowers.
- Artist Representation: Olympia was a deliberate challenge to the traditional academic art of the time. Manet wanted to shock the conservative art establishment by presenting a provocative image that challenged societal norms and conventions.
- Period Representation: Olympia reflects the changing social and cultural context of 19th century Paris, where prostitution and the commodification of women were significant issues. Manet's depiction of a courtesan directly confronts the bourgeois society's hypocrisy and challenges the conventional representation of women in art.
2. Millais's Ophelia:
- Style: Millais was a prominent figure in the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, a movement that aimed to revive the detailed style and intense colors of early Italian Renaissance painting.
- Subject Matter: Ophelia depicts the tragic character from Shakespeare's play Hamlet, floating in a river surrounded by flowers just before her death. The painting captures a serene and dreamy atmosphere.
- Artist Representation: Millais's Ophelia showcases his meticulous attention to detail, vibrant colors, and realistic rendering of nature. This work reflects the Pre-Raphaelite principle of intense observation, as Millais studied meticulously every element of the scene.
- Period Representation: The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood sought to reject the industrialization and spiritual vacancy of the Victorian era. Ophelia exemplifies their engagement with literature and their commitment to infusing art with emotion, myth, and poetic symbolism. The painting represents an escape into the world of Shakespearean tragedy and the idealized beauty of nature.
In conclusion, Manet's Olympia and Millais's Ophelia represent the artists' distinct styles and their periods. Manet's Olympia challenges the established norms through its subject matter and style and reflects the changing social context of 19th-century Paris. On the other hand, Millais's Ophelia showcases the meticulous details and vibrant colors of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, representing an escape from the industrialization of Victorian society.