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"Obviously unique, erotic and political, highly autobiographical, at times ironic, and always turned toward the public space, Manet's art was also playful. To gamble, to take risks, and to collect the winnings if possible, all three things were vital to this man of great ambition. The former sailor navigated by sight, always in open waters. No retreat, no safe haven, no evasion. Manet feared his doubts less than he feared failure and routine. To become tied down to some formula or particular genre would have been, for him, the worst way of giving up. A revolutionary, certainly, a history painter in his own way, he was above all a Salon painter, ready to do battle with the jury and the public so as to impose the Modern into great art."--P. [4] of cover.

Beautifully made collections of the major work of this artist. Presents the evolution and development of the artist through the work, biographical material, the aesthetic philosophy and commentary. Full-color and black-and-white illustrations.

catalogue raisonné.

Although his career spanned a mere twenty years, douard Manet remains one of the most influential artists in history. Rejecting the classical style of painting religious or mythological subjects, Manet was one of the first artists in the nineteenth century to paint modern people in modern situations. Many of his paintings depicted the everyday street life of Paris, especially the cafs. The realism of his art offended the mainstream art community, and as a result, Manet's work was criticized as being obscene and unskilled. Despite the critics, paintings such as The Luncheon on the Grass and Olympia inspired the Impressionist movement and marked the beginning of modern art. Book jacket.