Saturday, December 10, 2016

Why The Oil Painting Olympia Is One Remarkable Piece

By Timothy Moore


Art has always been a great way to chronicle the culture of man. Different styles and techniques have been used throughout history and its use has continued to be relevant for millennia. Techniques are as interesting as the subjects artists choose because this gives viewers a good impression on what motivates the culture of each era.

The Renaissance was probably one of the most technically evolved eras when it came to art and realism. Artist aimed to capture the beaut of reality while combining it with the divine. This was evident in the subject that they chose which revolved around myth, religion and history. But on piece that challenge conventions was the oil painting Olympia by Manet.

The thing is that he made a mockery out of the Venus of Urbino painting . Although this stand against conventionality spurred a more modern take on art. Olympia has a great story behind it which makes the work very revolutionary. It was Manet showing the honesty of human beauty on canvas. It was as if he was saying that we are humans so why not look upon our own beauty and not that of goddesses.

Instead of Venus, her being a symbol of greatness and purity, he used Olympia. The setting was in France 1865. Around the time, the name Olympia was common among prostitutes and to support that claim, you can see a black choker around her neck which was a sign that would tell people what a woman did for a living.

The shock value was immense initially. Now, we see it as the start of the modern art movement. Technically, the artist intended to make the brush strokes evident as opposed to what most critics were used to. He probably did not want to sedate the public with the beauty of his work, but rather, snap them back to the reality of what already surrounds then.

The woman on the painting stares at you point blank which was a huge statement if you compare it to the Venus equivalent. It was as if Manet meant the asymmetry of her face to say that no female face is symmetrical and as perfect as a goddess and that is still worthy of making into art.

The piece at most is an honest portrayal of current state of events during the time. While most traditional late Renaissance works are focused on blurring the lines between realistic imagery, Manet made it a point for viewers to identify that this is a painting and not a means of escape from horrid realities that you get to see outside the gallery.

The piece is a cross between abstraction and tradition which encouraged modern art. There was lesser pressure to perfection. This is evident on the asymmetry of features you can see on the subject. The detail is essentially on the hands and the feet which seems peculiar, instead of focusing on the bosom and the womb.

Olympia was met with mockery but anything that significantly shook the world is always met with the same manner. To this day the piece is an icon and is a reminder to all artists that use any medium that one can send a powerful message with only relaying an idea or an interpretation of an already existing one. In this case, art was able to achieve the first movements or artistic revolution against how convoluted aesthetic was during the late renaissance.




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