Manet and the Execution of Maximilian - Essay Example

Manet and the Execution of Maximilian Edouard Manet produced five works on the of execution of Maximilian in Mexico. From 1867 to early 1869Manet created these paintings out of which three were large paintings one was a lithograph and one an oil sketch. The paintings have been made to represent the event of killing of Maximilian along with his generals by the firing squad of the Mexican army. At first instance, the paintings seem to be a little roughly handled with the use of thick paint and spontaneous application of thick brush strokes.

The works done before the period of Manet chiefly comprised of romantic paintings (apart from the realist works of Courbet) where the chief subject in the painting was romanticized and presented larger than life. It was more glamorous in its depiction. Manet does not seem to follow any of those in his experimentation of the five paintings out here as he is neither trying to portray an exaggerated version of the actual event nor is he dramatically using light and color (as is sometimes noticeable in the earlier romantic paintings).

He does not add emotions to the painting and the soldiers along with the subjects seem to be emotionally indifferent. Even the subject of execution that he has chosen was not much popular in earlier times. The depiction of the execution was based on the information that he received in terms of sketches and texts from Mexico and as and when he had some new information, he would sit to paint it all again. That is how he ended up painting a set of five pictures. “Manet drew heavily on contemporary accounts of the execution, changing details in the work as more information was relayed…….

” 1 From the use of colors and the treatment of subject, it seems that he was attempting at a contemporary and modern painting that was discontinuous with the past practice. “Manet borrowed the compositional format of his painting The Execution of Emperor Maximilian of Mexico…. from a painting by Spanish artist Francisco de Goya, Third of May, 1808”2 and thus banking upon historical examples, however the use of colors and the portrayal of soldiers in the painting is innovative and can be credited totally as Manet’s creation.

The handling of paint is not at all historic. “The lasting shock [of the series] had to do with his handling of the medium and that alone…. Similarly the impressionist, coming in Manet’s wake, cause shock and scandal by nothing other but the way they used the paint. “3Also the flatness of painting is discontinuous to the way it was used in the past. There seems to be a spontaneous and deliberate rough handling of paint. The space is depicted in a dull and insipid manner which would not have been done otherwise.

The flat areas were imparted with bold contrasts of tones in comparison to delicate details in the historical paintings. Summing up it can be said that Manet has banked upon historical paintings for the composition in as a means to give his imagination a way, but his painting techniques are original and do not have any resemblance with the historical style as he has portrayed it all in the contemporary style and fashion. “For these and other innovations, such as his free, sketchy brushwork and broad patches of color juxtaposed without transition, he is often referred to as the first modern painter.

” 4 References: Meecham, Pam and Sheldon, Julie. Modern Art: A Critical Introduction. Routledge, 2004  "Édouard Manet." Microsoft® Student 2007 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2006. Vishny, Michele. "Painting." Microsoft® Student 2007 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2006.