The Muse of Edouard Manet by M. Clifford

There is no subtle gradations between light and dark Manet favored brutal contrast and diminished both depth and perspective. Manet borrowed classical references from Titian and from Raphael's Judgement of Paris and then added his own brand of boldness with a nude woman, model Victorine Meurent, sitting amongst a group of clothed men. It was rejected by the stuffy committee members but Manet went on to exhibit it at the famous Salon des Refusés - an alternative art show initiated by Napoleon III as a venue to exhibit the paintings that had been rejected - where it was the star attraction, if only for the controversy it generated. Edouard Manet didn't intend to ignite both when he entered this painting to the 1863 official Paris Salon. But for a quicker tour, here are five of his paintings not to miss when you're at the center of Impressionism in Paris.

We love roaming the rooms of the d'Orsay to find all of Manet's works exhibited there. In fact, Manet scorned rules and conventions and is today considered the master of the painters collectively called the pre-Impressionists. He didn't depict the ideal, classical world that the École des Beaux-Arts encouraged. Manet was revolutionary in painting scenes of everyday people engaged in activities like relaxing on the beach, in bars, cafes, and theaters.

Manet was the spiritual father of a younger generation of painters who longed to be free from the constraints of the stuffy Paris Salon, the annual state-sponsored art show. Even for a museum dedicated to the 19th century Impressionists, that's quite a few paintings by one artist. There are 49 artworks by the French painter Edouard Manet (1832-1883) at the Musée d'Orsay. The Best Paintings By Manet At Musée d'Orsay – Five Not To Miss

The Muse of Edouard Manet by M. Clifford