Édouard Manet - Olympia

Title: Olympia (Olympia)
Artist: Édouard Manet (1832-1883)
Date: 1863
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 131 × 190 cm
Location: Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France

“Olympia” by Édouard Manet portrays a reclining nude woman, identified as a courtesan, lying on a bed with her gaze directed towards the viewer while being attended to by a maid. Though Manet’s “The luncheon on the grass” had sparked controversy in 1863, at the Salon des refusés, his “Olympia” stirred an even bigger uproar when it was exhibited at the 1865 Paris Salon. Conservatives condemned the work as immoral and vulgar.

Olympia is fully nude with only a hand covering her public area. She is adorned with a red orchid in her hair (symbol of sexual pleasure), a bracelet (similarly to Titian’s Venus and Ingres’ Great Ordalisque), a ribbon around her neck almost as a ribbon around a gift, and slippers at her feet which was seen as an ultimate provocation.

The maid holds a large, bouquet of flowers, presumably a gift from a client. A black cat is standing upright at the feet of Olympia. The upright cat staring at the viewer contrasts with the little dog that was sleeping at the feet of his mistress in Titian’s Venus. Whereas Venus’ dog was a symbol of loyalty and calm, Olympia’s cat is mysterious and provocative. The cat’s demeanor is unsettling, hinting at mischief, power, and obscurity; an embodiment of mystical feminine energy.