As I embarked on the journey of 19th Century Art History I confess I didn't know the difference myself or were they in fact the same person. A couple of courses later and bang I can now have a brief conversation regards Monsieur Edouard Manet and Claude Monet.
Yes they were both 19th Century Artists, both involved in and around 1870's, although Claude Monet was 8 years younger than Manet and you could say Monet did spend his formative years looking to, studying and sampling from Manet's work.
The big question that sets art critics apart is were they both Impressionists? Manet's work with light, line and colour seemed to be an inspiration to the Impressionists, however, many draw the line at actually labelling his work as part of the Impressionist movement. I won't bore you with details of arguments on both sides yet, maybe a later Blog! Suffice to say, I stand with the widespread opinion that Manet was beyond Impressionism and could be considered part of the early Avant Guarde movement.
To give you a brief example of their work and their relationship we can look to a work produced initially by Manet in 1863, then responded to by Monet in 1865, Le Dejeuner sul l'herbe or Luncheon on the Grass.
Manet, Le Dejeuner sul l'Herbe, 1863
Monet Le Dejeuner sul l'Herbe, 1865-66
Manet's version, controversial of course with the pale, nude woman engaging the viewer. Her direct gaze unsettling, particular in 1863! Monet's version lighter in palette, the figures more weighty and the face detail notably different in the subjects.
We then see the repetition of sampling from these artists by contemporary artists in the version below Mickalene Thomas samples from the work in her version Racquel with les Trois Femme in 2018, as Manet sampled from Titian's work the Pastoral Concert of 1509.
Mickalene Thomas, Racquel with les Trois Femme, 2018
Titian, The Pastoral Concert, 1509
So there you have it, a small discussion on the difference between Manet and Monet, of course there is a lot more to the two artists but hopefully I have given you a little clarity.
jusqu'à la prochaine fois mon ami!
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