Exotic Flower; Woman Wearing a Mantilla
Édouard Manet
Description
March 28, 2009
By the time Manet created Fleur Exotique, two important events had occurred: he had made a personal pilgrimage to Madrid in 1865 primarily to study Velázquez’s paintings in the original, and a definitive monograph on the work of Francisco Goya had been published in Paris. Goya’s forceful etchings depicting the French occupation of Spain under Napoleon had directly inspired Manet’s recent political works, particularly his paintings of the execution of the Emperor Maximilian in Mexico. A different series of prints by Goya, Los Caprichos, influenced Fleur Exotique. This image of a young woman with a lace mantilla is based on Manet’s knowledge of Goya’s etchings; this can be seen especially in the way the layer of aquatint is used to describe the lace that obscures the woman’s eyes and how untouched areas of the plate are used to evoke her pale skin. Fleur Exotique was commissioned by Philippe Burty to accompany a poem by Armand Renaud in a deluxe volume of poetry, Sonnets et eaux-fortes.
Subject Matter:
This image is loosely based on the print "Bellos consejos" from the Spanish painter Francisco de Goya's (1746-1828) series Los Caprichos. During the 1860s, Manet frequently drew subject matter for both prints and paintings from Spanish examples. This print was commissioned for a volume that paired etchings by contemporary artists with contemporary poetry—Sonnets et eaux-fortes, 1869. It was paired with Armand Renaud's poem "Fleur Exotique."
Physical Description:
A woman turned to her left is depicted in a three-quarter view in front of a gray background. She wears a black mantilla and carries a fan. A transparent veil covers her forehead.
Usage Rights:
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