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| A Modern Olympia | |
|---|---|
| French: Une moderne Olympia | |
 A Modern Olympia by Paul Cézanne | |
| Year | c. 1873-74 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Movement | Impressionism |
| Dimensions | 46.2 cm × 55.5 cm (18.2 in × 21.9 in) |
| Location | Musée d'Orsay, Paris |
A Modern Olympia (French: Une moderne Olympia) is a c. 1873–74 painting by Impressionist painter Paul Cézanne. The painting's title and subject are a homage to Édouard Manet's 1863 painting Olympia.
A Modern Olympia has been described as anticipating the Expressionist movement that would begin about forty years later.[1]
The painting is currently owned by the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.
Background
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Description
editWhereas in Manet's Olympia the courtesan's patron is only implied, in Cézanne's A Modern Olympia the cortesain's patron is depicted within the scene.[2] The man's bald head, dark hair, full beard, and profile of the nose indicate that he is a self-portrait of Cézanne.[3]
The patron, the man on the couch,
The animal's red collar indicates that it is a dog, despite its cat-like appearance.[4]
History
editPaul Cézanne painted A Modern Olympia in 1873 while living in Auvers-sur-Oise. Cézanne had previously been introduced Dr. Paul Gachet by his friend and fellow Impressionist Camille Pissarro. Dr. Gachet was a somewhat eccentric man and an amateur artist himself. He was interested in the new and revolutionary, and was also an admirer of Cézanne's paintings.[5] Cézanne's decision to paint a homage to Édouard Manet's 1863 painting Olympia supposedly came following a conversation with Dr. Gachet. During the conversation, Gachet complimented Manet's Olympia. An unimpressed Cézanne said "What? The Olympia?... I could do that sort of thing." To which Gachet replied, "Well, do it then."[6] Dr. Gachet bought the 1873 version of A Modern Olympia, and was reportedly present when it was painted.[7] It was the first painting that Cézanne ever sold.[5]
Dr. Gachet lent A Modern Olympia back to Cézanne for the First Impressionist Exhibition in 1874.[8] Despite it's small size, Cézanne's A Modern Olympia was the subject of mockery and derision by critics and visitors more-so than any of the other paintings in the exhibition.[9]
In 1951, the heirs of Dr. Gachet donated A Modern Olympia, along with the paintings House of Dr Gachet and Delft Vase, to the Louvre in Paris.[10]
Other versions
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Cézanne had previously painted a another version of A Modern Olympia three years earlier in c. 1869–70.[5] This earlier version is also known as The Pasha.[11]
Cézanne also created another homage to Manet's Olympia in c. 1877.[12] This graphite and watercolor drawing is simply titled Olympia.
Copies by other artists
editSeveral other copies of A Modern Olympia were made by contemporary artists. Dr. Paul Gachet, the painting's first owner, made at least two copies of his own: one in pen and ink, and another in oil on canvas.[13] The artist Blanche Derousse, a pupil of Dr. Gachet,[14] also made two copies at Dr. Gachet's request: one in watercolor, and another in drypoint.[13]
Gallery
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Paul Cézanne, Olympia.
Graphite and watercolor (c. 1877) -
Paul Gachet, Copy after Cézanne's A Modern Olympia.
Oil on canvas (Date unknown) -
Paul Gachet, Copy after Cézanne's A Modern Olympia.
Pen and ink (Date unknown) -
Blanche Derousse, Copy after Cézanne's A Modern Olympia.
Watercolor (1901) -
Blanche Derousse, Copy after Cézanne's A Modern Olympia.
Drypoint (1907)
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See also
edit- List of paintings by Paul Cézanne
- The Hanged Man's House – Another painting by Paul Cézanne that was painted in Auvers-sur-Oise and exhibited at the First Impressionist Exhibition.
References
editCitations
edit- ^ Dunlop (1972), p. 82.
- ^ Stevens (1988), p. 28.
- ^ Stevens (1988), p. 47.
- ^ Rubin (2003), p. 52.
- ^ a b c Becks-Malorny (2001), p. 28.
- ^ Dunlop (1972), p. 81.
- ^ Elgar (1969), p. 50.
- ^ Distel & Stein (1999), p. 36.
- ^ Stevens (1988), pp. 47–48.
- ^ Orienti (1985), p. 84.
- ^ Stevens (1988), pp. 150–151.
- ^ Reff (1977), pp. 32–35.
- ^ a b Distel & Stein (1999), pp. 36–38.
- ^ "Exhibition Blanche Derousse". Musée d'Orsay. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
Works cited
edit- Becks-Malorny, Ulrike (2001). Paul Cézanne 1839-1906: Pioneer of Modernism. Köln: Taschen. ISBN 3-8228-5642-8.
- Distel, Anne; Stein, Susan Alyson (1999). Cézanne to Van Gogh: The Collection of Doctor Gachet. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, distributed by Harry N. Abrams. ISBN 0-8109-6538-0.
- Dunlop, Ian (1972). The Shock of the New: Seven Historic Exhibitions of Modern Art. New York: American Heritage Press.
- Elgar, Frank (1969). Cézanne;. London: Thames & Hudson. ISBN 978-0-500-18093-8.
- Orienti, Sandra (1985). The Complete Paintings of Cézanne. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Books Ltd. ISBN 978-0-14-008652-2.
- Reff, Theodore (1977). Manet, Olympia. New York: Viking Press. ISBN 0-670-45408-7.
- Rubin, James H. (2003). Impressionist Cats & Dogs: Pets in the Painting of Modern Life. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-09873-0.
- Stevens, Marry Anne, ed. (1988). Cezanne: The Early Years 1859-1872. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
External links
edit- Cézanne's Une moderne Olympia at the Musée d'Orsay website.
- Cézanne's Olympia at the Philadelphia Museum of Art website.
- Paul Gachet's copy of Cézanne's Une moderne Olympia at the Musée d'Orsay website.
- Blanche Derousse's copy of Cézanne's Une moderne Olympia at the Musée d'Orsay website.
