Édouard Manet (French, 1832–1883) A chic young woman in a day dress with floral accents holds a parasol against a background of exuberant foliage. She looks straight ahead, a picture of poise and detachment even as she seems fully aware of the viewer's admiring gaze. Representing aspiring Parisian actress Jeanne Demarsy as the embodiment of Spring, this portrait debuted at the last major public exhibition of Manet's life, the Paris Salon of 1882. For more than two decades, Manet's paintings were rejected by the Salon or met with controversy;
Spring was the most unalloyed success of the artist's Salon career, a career that ended tragically a year later when Manet died of causes related to syphilis.
Appealing to critics primarily on account of Jeanne's charm,
Spring also showcased Manet's mastery of his medium. The painting exhibits a marvelous range of brushwork, from the thin, delicate floral touches on the dress to the smooth handling of Jeanne's face and the broad, sketch-like strokes of the backdrop. The painting's sensual handling and bright, vibrant palette evoke the pleasures of the season it celebrates.
When composing
Spring, Manet had in view both the latest fashion trends and old artistic traditions. An avid connoisseur of feminine
couture, he pieced together Jeanne's ensemble himself by scouring dressmakers' and milliners' shops. Posing his model in the studio, however, he referred to portrait conventions of the early Italian Renaissance, presenting her half-length, in profile, and against a mass of greenery. More than just an ephemeral "fashion-plate," Manet's archetypal
Spring was conceived as a picture for the ages, summarizing his modern epoch through the figure of a beautiful
Parisienne.
Art + Ideas Podcast: Scott Allan on Manet’s Jeanne (Spring)
Our Cards are all printed on 100% cotton tree-free archival paper. All Cards include a recycled kraft envelope in a protective sleeve individually hand wrapped for you. Each card is printed one at a time and hand bound here in Lugano, Switzerland. We ship all over the world via SwissPost. Please allow 5-9 business days for us to make them and 5-7 business days for transit. Art Prints are printed on heavy matte finish German art paper using the finest Canon archival inks. Frame is black natural with a white mattboard and Acrylite glazing.
Wall Murals are printed on 42" matte finish, self-adhesive Kodak PhotoText fabric panels that combine and mount easily on a non textured wall surface. We can custom make to any size, just ask.
Stretched Canvas is stretched by hand over 1.5" thick pine bars and printed on cotton poly matte finish canvas. Each canvas is hand coated with Hahnemuhle UV/Archive coating, these are Swiss quality best in industry canvases.
All our images are digitized from the original negative, printed and assembled in Switzerland to museum standards by our master printer.
All of our products are popular and custom made by hand to order, please allow 2-4 weeks to make them and 1-2 weeks for shipment anywhere in the world.
Questions? Please email service@archivea.com
Artwork in this collection is from The J. Paul Getty Museum. Reproduction rights are reserved by the copyright owner and used under license by Archivea GmbH.
