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            Edouard Manet was born on January 23, 1832 in Paris into the family of August Manet, an officer in the Ministry of Justice, and his wife Eugénie-Désirée, née Fournier, daughter of a diplomat. His uncle, Edmond-Edouard Fournier, gave the boy his first lessons in drawing. In 1844-1848, Manet studied at the College Rollin, where he met his lifelong friend Antonin Proust. In 1848-49, he was trained as a sea cadet on a voyage to Brazil, but in April 1849 he failed his naval examinations and decided to switch to painting. He entered the studio of Thomas Couture, where he studied for 6 years, between 1850 and 1856. In 1856, he took a long travel through Europe.
            After traveling in Germany, Austria and Italy to study the Old Masters, Manet finally found the answer to all his questionings and aspirations for light and truth in the paintings of Velasquez and Goya at the Louvre. Influenced by these masters and by the example of Courbet, a French realist painter, he gradually evolved a new technique which presented modern aspects by modern methods.
            In 1861, his The Spanish Singer was accepted at the Salon and won an honorable mention. But his submissions to the Salon of 1863, The Picnic among them, were rejected and appeared at the Salon des Refusés. The large canvas became the focus of scandalized critical and public attention.
            In October 28, 1863, Manet married Suzanne Leenhoff in Holland (See her portrait The Reading, on which Mme Manet is depicted being read to by Léon Koëlla). Manet’s wife was Dutch, two years his senior, and an excellent musician. She had been employed by August Manet to give Edouard and his brother Eugène piano lessons. After a relationship lasting more than ten years, Manet finally married Suzanne after his father's death. Léon Koëlla was Suzanne’s son, born in 1852. His father was almost certainly Manet, but he was presented as Suzanne’s younger brother. Manet painted Léon Koëlla several times, the most known canvas with him is Luncheon in the Studio, on which Léon Koëlla is the central figure.
            An even greater scandal than that aroused by The Picnic, was caused by Olympia, shown in 1865. The public was infuriated not only by the style, but also by the subject of the picture. ‘A yellow-bellied courtesan’, ‘a female gorilla made of india-rubber outlined in black’, ‘the Queen of Spades after her bath’, ‘a parcel of nude flesh or a bundle of laundry’, and other similar characteristics appeared in newspapers. When words were exhausted some ‘enthusiasts’ tried to finish with the picture physically, and it was saved only thanks to being hung high, above the reach of the fanatics.
            Although Manet was frequently in the company of members of the Impressionist group – Berthe Morisot, his sister-in-law since December 1874, Degas, and Monet in particular, and they regarded him as a leader, he had no wish to join their group. He was naturally irritated by the critics’ tendency to confuse him with Monet. Manet’s stylistic discoveries, such as ‘there are not lines in Nature’, which led to his abandoning of the conventional outline and his shaping the forms by means of color and subtle gradation of tints, decisively influenced the Impressionists, but their representation of light and optical reactions to color were different. Manet never painted what could be called a truly Impressionist picture.
            In 1869, Manet met Eva Gonzalés, who became his student. During the Franco-Prussian War he joined National Guard; when in May 1871 he finally returned to Paris he found his studio partly wrecked. In 1873, his Len Bon Bock achieved considerable success at the Salon. In 1881, Manet exhibited his portraits of Henri Pertuiset and of Rochefort at the Salon, and obtained second class medal. The same year he was received into the Legion of Honor. In 1882, he exhibited for the last time at the Salon, showing Spring and Bar at the Folies-Bergère. After a long illness, which had been exhausting him for about 5 years, he died on April 30, 1883.

Meurent, Victorine Louise (1844-1885) was Manet’s favorite model in the 1860s, posing for such important works as The Picnic and Olympia. She went to America in mysterious circumstances in the 1860s and then returned to France, serving again as Manet’s model in the early 1870s, e.g. in The Railway. She became a painter herself, exhibiting a self-portrait at the 1876 Salon when Manet’s submission was rejected, and in the 1879 Salon her entry was in the same room as Manet’s. (The Street Singer). She probably died an alcoholic, in poverty.
See: Edouard Manet. Mlle Victorine Meurent in the Costume of an Espada. Portrait of Victorine Meurent. The Picnic ("Le Déjeuner sur l'Herbe"). Olympia. The Railway.

Lola de Valence, the scene name of Lola Melea, the première danseuse of the dance company of Camprubi. They performed at the Porte Dauphine during summer of 1862. Manet persuaded Camprubi to bring his dancers to the studio of his friend the Belgian painter Alfred Stevens during their leisure hours, and they posed for him there.
See: Edouard Manet. Lola de Valence.

The Battle of the Kearsarge and the Alabama. In 1864, the American Confederate cruiser Alabama took refuge in Cherbourg harbor to avoid the Union corvette, the Kearsarge. The captain of the Alabama, Captain Sammes, eventually determined to run the blockade and on 19 June 1864 the battle took place. Crowds had gathered in Cherbourg to watch the confrontation, and a number of boats stationed themselves near the combatants to see the fight at close quarters.
See: Edouard Manet. The Battle of the Kearsarge and the Alabama.

The Execution of the Emperor Maximilian of Mexico. In April 1864, Napoleon III persuaded the Hapsburg Archduke Maximilian to accept the Mexican throne. Less then three years later, in February 1867, Napoleon III withdrew all French troops from Mexico, leaving Maximilian totally defenseless. Benito Juárez’ guerillas captured Maximilian and his generals Miguel Miramon and Tomás Mejía and executed them on 19 June 1867. It is this date that Manet signed on his canvas.
Probably in late September 1867 Manet began to work on a second variant of the theme of the execution, of which four fragments now survive in the National Gallery, London. Manet was not able to exhibit the painting in France, where it was regarded as politically incorrect, and it was first shown in New York in 1879.
See:  Edouard Manet. The Execution of the Emperor Maximilian of Mexico. The Execution of Emperor Maximilian (four fragments).

Zola, Emile (1840-1902) French writer and art critic; schoolfriend of Cézanne. Manet was introduced to Zola in February 1866. Three months later Zola wrote an enthusiastic essay in defense of Manet’s work (L’Evénement, May 1866), which he later expanded into a long article (Revue du XIXe Siècle, January 1867). Manet painted this portrait as an expression of his thanks, and it was shown at the 1868 Salon. In 1870-1903, Zola wrote and published his novel series about the Rougon-Macquart family, including 1880 Nana (see Manet’s picture on the subject) and 1886 The Masterpiece, a critical characterization of Impressionism.
See: Edouard Manet. Portrait of Emile Zola.

Duret, Théodore ( 1838-1927) a businessman, later a journalist and art critic, met Manet in Madrid in the late summer of 1865. In 1867, Duret published Les Peintres français en 1867, in which he discussed Manet’s work. Manet presented him with this portrait as an expression of gratitude. In 1868, he founded a republican newspaper with Zola and others. In 1870 he published his first Salon report in which he spoke about the Impressionists. In 1871, he was a deputy mayor of his region under Paris Commune and narrowly escaped being shot. Since 1872, he actively helped the Impressionists, collected their paintings. Manet introduced Whistler to Duret in 1880. Portrait of Théodore Duret by Whistler is one of the best works of the artist. Duret posed in an evening dress, at Whistler’s request, over a period of several months. Duret owned several of Whistler’s paintings, and published a number of influential articles on him, as well as a monograph (1904).
See: Edouard Manet. Portrait of Théodore Duret.
Edouard Vuillard. Theodore Duret.
James Abbott McNeill Whistler. Arrangement in Flesh Color and Black: Portrait of Théodore Duret.

The Balcony. The painting shows Berthe Morisot, next to her is the violinist Fanny Claus, and behind the women is the painter Antonin Guillemet, who exhibited Village on the Banks of the Seine at the same Salon. This canvas was exhibited at the 1869 Salon.
See: Edouard Manet. The Balcony.

Morisot, Berthe (1841-1895) French painter, daughter of a top civil servant and a great-niece of the rococo painter Fragonard. In 1864, exhibited her first landscapes in the Salon. In 1868, became friends with Manet, who gave her advice and painted in several works (Repose, The Balcony). In December 1874, she married Manet’s brother, Eugène. She participated in all Impressionists exhibitions and made an important contribution to Impressionism.

Henri de Rochefort, Marquis de Rochefort Lucay (1830-1913) civil servant and critic, Sub-inspector of the Paris Beaux-Arts. He was condemned under military law to life-imprisonment for his support of the Commune and exiled to New Caledonia in 1873. Four months later he and some other convicts escaped in a whale boat. He lived in Geneva and London until the amnesty made his return to Paris possible, and shortly thereafter he founded a new paper, L’Intransigiant. Ironically, the radical Rochefort later became a follower of General Boulanger and leader of the anti-Dreyfusands.
See: Edouard Manet. The Escape of Rocherfort. Portrait of Henri Rochefort.

The Conservatory is a portrait of Monsieur and Mme Jeles Guillement, who owned a fashionable dress-shop. Mme Guillemet was American, and one of the few femmes du monde of Manet’s acquaintance who was also a friend of Suzanne Manet’s.
See: Edouard Manet. The Conservatory.

At Père Lathuille’s. The restaurant Chez le Père Lathuille was almost next door to the Café Guerbois, Manet’s ‘headquarters’. The models for the picture were the son of the proprietor, Louis Gauthier-Lathuille and Judith French, a relative of the composer Offenbach.
See: Edouard Manet. At Père Lathuille's.

Mallarmé, Stéphane (1842- 1898) French Symbolist poet and writer, influential critic. Close friend of Manet, Renoir, Whistler and Degas. Mallarmé wrote in 1874 a highly appraisal of Manet for La Renaissance artistique et littéraire, and in 1876 for Art Monthly Review. Manet in his turn illustrated Mallarmé’s translation of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven and made a number of woodcut illustrations for L’Après-midi s’un Faume, which he published in April 1876.
See: Edouard Manet. Portrait of Stéphane Mallarmé.

Claude Monet… Boat, Claude Monet acquired his studio boat in about 1873, and used it to make painting trips up and down the Siene in search of new motifs. In 1874, Manet painted him, accompanied by his wife Camille.
See: Edouard Manet. Claude Monet Painting on His Studio Boat.

Beach at Boulogne-sur-Mer … marked the beginning of the phase in Manet’s career which brought him closest to the Impressionist, and which culminated in his paintings executed at Argenteuil or Gennevilliers in summer of 1874, often in the company of Monet.
See:  Edouard Manet. Beach at Boulogne-sur-Mer.

Astruc, Zacharie (1835-1907) French poet, critic, amateur sculptor and musician. As a critic he was quick to recognize the importance of Courbet and praised Manet, who painted his portrait and portrayed him in Music in the Tuileries. Astruc wrote a song called Lola de Valence and Manet executed a lithograph after his portrait of Lola for the cover.

Music in the Tuileries Gardens. Manet portrayed himself surrounded by his friends and associates. Manet is to be found at the extreme left of this canvas. Other identifiable figures include Zacharie Astruc, the composer Offenbach, Théophile Gautier, Henri Fautin-Latour, Manet’s friend the painter Albert de Balleroy, and his brother Eugène Manet, who was later to become Berthe Morisot’s husband.
See:  Edouard Manet. Music in the Tuileries Gardens.

Georges Clemenceau (1841-1929) French statesman. He was educated as a physician, in 1865-69 lived in the USA. Since 1871 went into politics. He was the Premier in 1906-09, 1917-20. He presided at the Peace Conference in 1919. A brilliant journalist, he founded L'Aurore, and from 1918 was an Academician.
See: Edouard Manet. Georges Clémenceau.

The Monet Family in the Garden. Manet was working on the picture in the Monets' garden in Argenteuil, when Renoir arrived. The latter loved the scene so much that immediately began to paint the same thing. Manet did not like the situation and in his irritation told Monet to advise his friend to quit painting, as it was clearly not his vocation.
See:  Madame Monet with Her Son by Renoir.
Edouard Manet. The Monet Family in the Garden.

Alphonse Maureau French Impressionist painter, exact details of his life are unknown. He was a friend of Degas and Manet, and Desboutin. In 1877, participated in the 3rd Impressionist Exhibition with four works. See one of his works here.
See: Edouard Manet. Man in a Round Hat (Alphonse Maureau).

Gilbert-Marcellin Desboutin (1823-1902), French painter, engraver, and poet. He came from a rich family, first studied law in Paris, but then switched to sculpture. In 1854-1870, lived in Florence as a painter. In 1873, settled in Paris: became acquainted with Manet and Degas. Took part in the second Impressionist exhibition, though he pained in almost Neo-Baroque style. In 1895 became member of the Legion of Honor. In 1900, won the grand prize at the Paris World Fair.
See: Edouard Manet. Portrait of Gilbert-Marcellin Desboutin.

George Moore (1853-1933) Irish painter, critic, and writer. Took drawing lessons in London. At the age of 21 he moved to Paris and studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and at the Academie Julian; got acquainted and made friends with numerous artists, especially Manet. In 1879, Manet painted three portraits of him. In 1880, he moved back to England and became active in the New English Art Club, a group of artitsts working on  Impressionism principles.
See: Edouard Manet. Portrait of George Moore.

Antonin Proust (1832-1900) French political figure, journalist, and art critic, uncle of the French writer Marcel Proust. He for some time was the Minister for Fine Arts. He was a friend of Manet and wrote a book about the artist.
See: Edouard Manet. Portrait of Antonin Proust.

Bibliography:
Henri Perruchot. La vie de Manet. Hachette, Paris. 1959.
French Paintings from the Hermitage, Leningrad. Aurora. Leningrad. 1975.
Painting of Europe. XIII-XX centuries. Encyclopedic Dictionary. Moscow. Iskusstvo. 1999.
Edouard Manet: Rebel in a Frock Coat by Beth Archer Brombert. University of Chicago Press, 1997.
Manet: The Still-Life Paintings by Henri Loyrette, Musee D'Orsay, Walters Art gall, George L. Mauner. Harry N Abrams, 2001.
The Last Flowers of Manet by Andrew Forge, Robert Gordon. Harry N Abrams, 1999.
Manet : The Still Life Paintings by George Mauner. Harry N Abrams, 2001.
Alias Olympia: A Woman's Search for Manet's Notorious Model & Her Own Desire by Eunice Lipton. Cornell University Press, 1999.
Manet's Modernism: or, The Face of Painting in the 1860s by Michael Fried. University of Chicago Press, 1998.
Masters of Art: Manet by Pierre Courthion. Harry N Abrams, 1984.
Manet/Velazquez: The French Taste for Spanish Painting by Gary Tinterow, Genevieve Lacambre, Deborah L. Roldan. Yale University Press, 2003.
Manet and the Sea by Juliet Wilson-Bareau, David Degener. Yale University Press, 2003.
Manet's 'Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe' (Masterpieces of Western Painting) by Paul Hayes Tucker. Cambridge University Press, 1998.
Manet Manette by Carol Armstrong, Edouard Manet. Yale University Press, 2002.
Twelve Views of Manet's Bar by Bradford Collins. Princeton University Press , 1996.
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