Edouard Manet was born on January 23, 1832, in Paris into the family of a high-ranking official. He began drawing while still in college. Defying the legal career that was expected of him, he decided to enroll in a naval academy instead. In 1848, he embarked on a voyage aboard a ship bound for Rio de Janeiro.3 photos

In the early 1850s, Manet studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He traveled extensively, visiting the Netherlands, Austria, Italy, and later Germany, Spain, and England. He was fascinated by the "secrets" of the painting techniques of ancient masters such as Rembrandt, Rubens, Van Dyck, Goya, El Greco, Velázquez, Halss, Watteau, and Chardin, as well as the works of newer artists like Delacroix. Manet often created copies of his favorite artworks, sometimes in a rather free-form manner.

Manet's first significant work was the painting "The Absinthe Drinker" (1858-1859), which depicted, in the tradition of Velázquez, a drunkard embodying the spirit of romantic vagrants. The "Portrait of His Parents" (1860), also executed in the genre style, followed this same tradition.

At the same time, Manet pursued the "Spanish" theme in his artwork, creating works such as "Lola from Valencia" (1862), "Guitarero," and "Victorina Meran in a Spanish Costume."

In 1863, Manet painted "Breakfast on the Grass" and subsequently "Olympia." These paintings featured a nude woman lying on a bed, a style that echoed the traditions of Giordano, Titian, Velázquez, Goya, and Ingres. However, they also incorporated elements of the new era, such as features resembling those of a puppet or a fetish. These two works faced harsh criticism from critics.

Manet's innovative artistic approaches, which provoked resistance among the public, attracted young artists seeking new ways to express themselves through painting. Around him began to gather a group of artists including Degas, Pissarro, Claude Monet, Renoir, and Sisley. They were impressed not only by Manet's innovation but also by his education, his profound knowledge of art history, and his mastery of various painting and graphic techniques. Manet's direct students included B. Morizot, E. Gozales, and M. Cassette, but he exerted a significant influence on the entire Impressionist movement.

Manet believed that it was their duty to embrace everything that their era could offer them, while also remembering the achievements of those who had come before them. He explored a wide range of subjects, creating portraits, still lifes, and landscapes. He excelled as a draftsman, lithographer, and printmaker as well. Manet's art brought new vitality to 19th-century French art and profoundly shaped the future directions of artistic development.

Edouard Manet died on April 30, 1883, in Paris.