Cara Joyce- Olympia and Fountain

Title: Olympia

Artist: Edouard Manet

Date: 1863

Period: Realism

Location: Musee d’Orsay

Scale/Size: H: 130, W: 190 cm

Materials: Oil on Canvas

Technique: Oil

Subject Matter/Content:

• This is a painting of a French prostitute named Olympia. Taking inspiration from The Venus of Urbino by Titian, Manet stripped the traditional characteristics of a female nude (idealistic/perfected features) away, and instead created this piece of a ‘real’ woman. Olympia’s facial features are asymmetrical, and contrast the typical attributes of Renaissance paintings of the nude (perfect facial/bone structure). Although a ‘real’ woman, it is still indicated that Olympia is wealthy as she is adorned in jewelry and other accessories. She is classified as a courtesan; a woman thought to be at the top of the prostitutional hierarchy. Olympia’s gaze as well as her body positioning gave off the idea that prostitution was civilized. This was shocking to many and was considered extremely improper.

Symbolism Used:

• Olympia symbolizes everyday life in Paris during the 19th century. Even life in the upper class had a whole other side to it, as we see in this piece. It is assumed that Olympia is a courtesan, or a wealthy prostitute. This is a reality is one that many refused to face, and part of the reason why the work sparked so much controversy.

Contextual Issues Relevant to the Work:

• During the time Olympia was painted, it was typical for female nudes to include idealistic features. Manet countered these ideals, and painted Olympia as a woman aware of her flaws. She, along with all of her imperfections stare and jump out of the painting at us. This was an extremely uncommon technique, that many were unused to.

Formal Qualities:

• Heavy contrast between the foreground and background. The foreground appears very light, while the background features extremely dark coloring. This draws the viewer’s eyes to Olympia.
• Includes a variety of different lines. Lines around Olympia’s hands and feet are bolder, and more defined as opposed to those on the rest of her body.
• Texture along bed, hands, face, and feet is present, while the rest of Olympia’s body is flat and lacks texture.
• Coloring emphasizes Olympia and indicates her as the focal point of the piece.
• Value is varied throughout the piece. Value is prominent around the places where texture appears (face, hands, feet). Allows for these parts to stand out more than others.

Intended Audience:

• Manet’s modern depiction of the female nude sparked much debate and angered many. The painting was originally exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1865. Manet preached that he simply drew what he saw. He wanted to draw a new audience; one who accepted and recognized the ‘real’ world.

Function(s):

• The primary function of this piece was to create what is seen in the ‘real’ world, and to put a modern twist on the classical female nude. Female nudes were often painted with perfected features, something of which Manet did not intend to capture. He opposed the traditional art in France at that time, which glorified the French state. Manet wanted to apprehend reality and everyday life which is reflected in his work of Olympia.

Symbolic Function(s):

• The symbolic function of Olympia was to put a modern twist on the female nude to allow for a newfound acceptance of everyday life in the art world.

Related Themes:

• The themes that go along with the piece are those such as reality of everyday life, and women's role in French society in the 19th century.

Related Work:

• Titian’s Venus of Urbino

Title: Fountain  
Artist: Marcel Duchamp

Date: 1964

Period: Dada

Location: San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (1964)

Scale/Size: 15 in. x 19 ¼ in.

Materials: Porcelain

Technique: Paint and glaze

Formal Qualities

• Texture of the piece is smooth and level. Material (porcelain) a very smooth looking material.
• Symmetrically balanced.
• Black signature of ‘R Mutt’ contrasts white of the glazed porcelain. Limited coloring emphasizes simplicity.
• Three dimensional form.

Subject Matter

• This piece is a urinal balanced on its side. In black paint includes the name ‘R. Mutt’. It is assumed the piece is placed on its side to symbolize the hectic lifestyle that was common during Duchamp’s time.

Symbolism

• Duchamp created Fountain during World War One; a time of turmoil and destruction. Duchamp’s idea to turn an everyday object on its side symbolizes the upside-down world he and everyone else were living in.

Contextual Issues

• Duchamp’s submission of Fountain sparked much debate. Many people refused to believe a urinal could pass as art. It brought up the frequently asked question of ‘What is art?’ and had many people question this idea. This piece was also apart of the Dada movement, an art and literature movement that arose in response to World War One. The movement allowed for people to express their ideas on war, and its results.

Intended Audience

• Duchamp wanted to connect with everyone else experiencing the turmoil that came along with World War One. His interpretation of the art was most likely to be very similar than those who were living during this time.

Function

• Duchamp’s function of this piece was to challenge the idea of what made something art. His work expressed that interpretation has a lot to do with what makes art, art.

Symbolic Function

• Taking the urinal and placing it upside down is symbolic to the upside down world Duchamp was living in at the time.

Related Themes

• Question of ‘what is art?’
• War and its effects on society

Related Works

• Untitled - Hans Arp