What Makes ‘Olympia’ So Astoundingly Modern? Here Are 3 Things That Help Unlock Manet’s Enigmatic Canvas
Olympia stares out from the canvas, her level gaze almost a dare. In Édouard Manet’s famed 1863 painting, a woman—a courtesan, in fact—reclines on a chaise lounge. She is naked and her body is pale, almost muscular, her legs short and knobby. Beneath her, white sheets are rumpled haphazardly. Pale blue and white silk slippers…