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Édouard Manet
31 quotes
“I don't know why I'm here. Everything before our eyes is ridiculous. The light is wrong, the shadows are wrong. When I enter in the studio I feel like I am entering a tomb [in the studio of their common art-teacher Thoman Couture ]. I know we can't make a model undress in the street. But there are fields, and at least in the summer we could do studies of the nude in the country, since the nude appears to be the first and the last word in art.”
Édouard Manet (1832–1883) first seen 1850 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Manet's early quote in 1850, spoken to his friend Antonin Proust; as quoted in Manet, Nathalia Brodskaya, Parkstone International, 2011, , p. 12
“So, they'd prefer me to do a nude, would they? Fine I'll do them a nude.. .I'll redo it [his painted copy of Giorgioni's 'Woman with musicians'], with a transparent atmosphere, like those women over there [women bathing in the river, Summer of 1862]. Then I suppose they'll really tear me to pieces. They'll tell me I'm just copying the Italians now, rather than the Spanish. Ah, well, they can say what they like. [the painting Manet means here became his most famous one: 'Déjeuner sur l'herbe'].”
Édouard Manet (1832–1883) first seen 1862 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Manet's quote to his friend Antonin Proust in 1862, from Manet, Francoise Cachin, Barrie & Jenkins, London 1991, p. 16
“How I miss you here [his friend in Paris - Manet visited Madrid and the famous museums there], and how delighted you would have been to see Velázquez, who in himself alone is worth the journey.. .He is the painter of painters. He did not astonish me, but delighted me.”
Édouard Manet (1832–1883) first seen 1865 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quote from Manet's letter to Fantin-Latour, Madrid 1865, as quoted in Letters of the great artists – from Blake to Pollock -, Richard Friedenthal, Thames and Hudson, London, 1963, (translation Daphne Woodward), p. 118
“Who is this Monet whose name sounds just like mine and who is taking advantage of my notoriety?”
Édouard Manet (1832–1883) first seen 1865 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quote 1865, recorded by Theodore Duret at the [[w:Salon (Paris)|Paris Salon that year; as quoted on: SCRIBD - 'Manet's letters'
“I should be going with Champfleury and Stevens, but they keep putting it off. Anyway, they are bloody bores. Excuse the unseeming language, but since my letter is not for publication, I can say what I please. Touché.”
Édouard Manet (1832–1883) first seen 1865 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quote in a letter, 23 August 1865, to his friend Zacharie Astruc; as quoted in Manet by Himself, Correspondence & Conversation; Paintings, pastels, prints and drawings, ed. Juliette Bareau-Wilson; Macdonald (1991)
“My dear Zola, - I am making up my mind to hold a private show. I have at least two score pictures to exhibit. I've already already been offered a site in a very good location near the Champ de Mars. I am going to stake the lot and seconded by men like yourself, am hopeful of success. See you soon. Cordially, yours ever, All of us here are delighted with your article, and I am instructed to send you thanks.”
Édouard Manet (1832–1883) first seen 1867 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quote of Manet's letter to Zola, Wednesday, 2 January 1867; as quoted on: SCRIBD - 'Manet's letters'
“You can do plein-air painting indoors, [to his pupil then, Berthe Morisot ] by painting white in the morning, lilac during the day and orange tones in the evening.”
Édouard Manet (1832–1883) said by 1883 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: quote of Manet, recorded bij Berthe Morisot; in Manet by Himself, ed. Juliet Wilson Bareau Little Brown 2000, London; p. 303
“I spent a long time, my dear Suzanne, looking for your photograph - I eventually found the album in the table in the drawing room, so I can look at your comforting face from time to time. I woke up last night thinking I heard you calling me.. .Every day we're expecting a major offensive to break through the iron ring that surrounds us. We are counting on the provinces, because we can't just send our little [French] army of to be massacred. Those devious Prussians may well try to starve us out.”
Édouard Manet (1832–1883) first seen 1870 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quote from Manet's letter to his wife, Suzanne Leenhof 23 Oct. 1870, a cited in The private lives of the Impressionists Sue Roe, Harpen Collins Publishers, New York 2006, p. 78
“Goodbye my dear Suzanne [his wife], your portraits are hanging in every corner of the bedroom, so I see you first and last thing..”
Édouard Manet (1832–1883) first seen 1870 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quote from Manet's letter to his wife, Suzanne Leenhof, 3 December 1870; as quoted in Manet by Himself, Correspondence & Conversation; Paintings, pastels, prints and drawings, ed. Juliette Bareau-Wilson; Macdonald (1991)
“I never imagined that France could be represented by such doddering old fools, not excepting that little twit Thiers...”
Édouard Manet (1832–1883) first seen 1871 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quote from Manet's letter to Félix Bracquemond (18 March 1871); as cited in Manet by Himself (1995) by Julliet Wilson-Bareau
“Only party hacks and the ambitious, the Henry's of this world following on the heels of the Milliéres, the grotesque imitators of the Commune of 1793.. .What an encouragement all these bloodthirsty caperings are for the arts! But there is at least one consolation in our misfortunes: that we're not politicians and have no desire to be elected as deputies.”
Édouard Manet (1832–1883) first seen 1871 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to Félix Bracquemond (21 March 1871), published in Manet by Himself (1995) by Julliet Wilson-Bareau
“He has no talent at all, that boy! You, who are his friend, tell him please to give up painting.”
Édouard Manet (1832–1883) first seen 1874 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: spoken to Claude Monet about Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1874), as quoted by John Rewald, The History of Impressionism, Vol.1 (1961).
“My dear Duret, I went to see Monet yesterday. I found him heart-broken and completely on the rocks. He asked me to find him someone who would take from ten to twenty of his paintings at their choice, for 111 fr. apiece. Shall we do it between us, making 500 fr. each? Naturally, no one, least of all he, must know that it is we who are doing it..”
Édouard Manet (1832–1883) first seen 1875 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quote from Manet's letter to the Paris' art-critic Théodore Duret, 1875, as quoted in Letters of the great artists – from Blake to Pollock -, Richard Friedenthal, Thames and Hudson, London, 1963, p. 121
“[Manet's reply:] They're not dancing, they'e skating; but you're right, they do move and when people are moving, I can't freeze them on the canvas. As a matter of fact, sir, I have been told the outlines of 'Olympia' are too well defined, so that makes up for it. Sir Frederick Leighton criticized: It's very good, Monsieur Manet, but don't you think that the outlines [of Manet's painting 'Le Skating' ] are not well enough defined and that the figures dance too much?”
Édouard Manet (1832–1883) first seen 1877 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quote of Manet c. 1877-79, recorded by Antonin Proust; ; as quoted in 'The Importance of Manet's Conceptualization in 'Olympia' and 'The Bar at the Folies-Bergère', by Charles Moffat, on 'The Art History Archive', c. 20…
“The Bellevue air [suburb outside Paris with curative waters] has done me a world of good.. .But Alas! Naturalist painting is more in disfavor than ever.”
Édouard Manet (1832–1883) first seen 1880 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: quote in a letter to Emile Zola, June 1880; as quoted by Colin B. Bailey, in The Annenberg Collection: Masterpieces of Impressionism and Post-impressionism, publish. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2009, p. 16 - n…
“That's good advice.. ..all the more so since I may well be forced to leave it [the painting] at that, as so often happens when the model doesn't come back. That's always been my principal concern, to make sure of getting regular sittings. Whenever I start something, I'm always afraid the model will let me down.. .They come, they pose, then away they go, telling themselves that he can finish it off on his own. Well no, one can't finish anything on one's own, particularly since one only finishes on the day one starts, and that means starting often and having plenty of days available.”
Édouard Manet (1832–1883) first seen 1880 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quote of Manet c. 1880, recorded by Antonin Proust; as quoted in 'The Importance of Manet's Conceptualization in 'Olympia' and 'The Bar at the Folies-Bergère', by Charles Moffat, on 'The Art History Archive', c. 2001
“Ah! Women.. .I met one yesterday on the Pont de l'Europe [in Paris, circa 1881 - Manet was walking through the city frequently with his friend Antonin Proust, but then already more or less cripple because of his syphilis]. She was walking the way only a Parisienne knows how to walk, but with an extra something, even more assured. I'll remember that. There are some things that will always be engraved on my mind.”
Édouard Manet (1832–1883) said by 1883 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: quoted in Portrait of Manet by Himself and his Contemporaries, Courthion and Cailler; London, Cassell, 1960 p.97
“What a pelisse! It's tawny brown with an old gold lining – staggering. It will make a wonderful background for some things I'm thinking of doing. Promise that when it's worn out you'll give it to me [Méry promised!].”
Édouard Manet (1832–1883) first seen 1881 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: quote of Manet, c. 1881; as cited in The private lives of the Impressionists, Sue Roe; Harpen Collins Publishers, New York 2006, p. 232
“You can deduce everything about a woman from the way she holds her feet. Seductive women always turn their feet out. Don't expect to get anywhere with a woman who turns her feet in.”
Édouard Manet (1832–1883) said by 1883 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: a remark of Manet to Mallarmé, recorded by Thadée Natanson [husband of Misia Sert ]; as quoted in Berthe Morisot, the first lady of impressionism, Margaret Shennan; Sutton Books London 1996, p.136
“Christ on the cross – what a symbol. A symbol of love surpassed by sorrow, which lies at the root of human condition, the main symbol of human poetry.. ..but that's enough of that, I'm getting morbid. It's Siredey's fault [his doctor during his last years, when Manet was seriously ill: syphilis]. Doctors always remind me of undertakers. Though I must say, I feel a lot better this evening. [while working on Antonin Proust's portrait in 1881-82]”
Édouard Manet (1832–1883) said by 1883 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: quoted in The private lives of the Impressionists, Sue Roe; Harpen Collins Publishers, New York 2006, p. 232
“I beg you, if I die, don't let me go piecemeal into the public collections, my work would not be fairly judged. I want to get in complete or not at all.. .Please, please, promise me one thing, never let my things go into a museum piecemeal.”
Édouard Manet (1832–1883) said by 1883 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: remark to his friend Antonin Proust; as cited in: Manet by Himself, p. 304; as quoted in The private lives of the Impressionists Sue Roe; Harpen Collins Publishers, New York 2006, p. 241
“No one knows what it feels like to be constantly insulted [by art-critics in Paris]. It sickens and destroys you.. .The fools! They've never stopped telling me I'm inconsistent [in his painting style]; they couldn't have said anything more flattering.”
Édouard Manet (1832–1883) said by 1883 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: quote of Manet, recorded by his friend Antonin Proust in his last years, Manet by Himself, p. 304, as quoted in The private lives of the Impressionists, Sue Roe; Harpen Collins Publishers, New York 2006, p. 241
“I was painting modern Paris while you were still painting Greek athletes..”
Édouard Manet (1832–1883) said by 1883 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: quote from The Impressionists at first hand, by Bernard Denvir; Thames and Hudson, London 1991, p. 78
“In art, conciseness is both a necessity and a luxury; a concise man provokes thought, a wordy man provokes boredom; always move towards conciseness. In the figure, look for the main light and the main shadow, the rest will come of itself: often, it amounts to very little.”
Édouard Manet (1832–1883) first seen 1882 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quote by Georges Jeanniot, Jan. 1882 - written after visiting Manet's studio; as quoted in 'The Importance of Manet's Conceptualization in 'Olympia' and 'The Bar at the Folies-Bergère', by Charles Moffat, on 'The Art Hi…
“One must be of one's time and paint what one sees.”
Édouard Manet (1832–1883) said by 1883 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in Encyclopedia of Artists (2000) by William Vaughan and Christopher Ackroyd, p. 28
“I am influenced by everybody. [and Willem de Kooning admitted: 'every time I put my hands in my pockets I find someone else's fingers there'].”
Édouard Manet (1832–1883) said by 1883 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Willem de Kooning quotes Manet in a conversation in 1968, with art-critic Harold Rosenberg; as cited in Willem De Kooning, 1904-1997 : Content as a Glimpse, Barbara Hess; Taschen, 2004, p. 67
“In a face, look for the main light and the main shadow; the rest will come naturally — it's often not important. And then you must cultivate your memory, because Nature will only provide you with references. Nature is like a warden in a lunatic asylum. It stops you from becoming banal.”
Édouard Manet (1832–1883) said by 1883 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“You must always remain master of the situation and do what you please. No school tasks, ah, no! no tasks!”
Édouard Manet (1832–1883) said by 1883 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We have reached that delightful moment when 'Impressionism' is about to be born, when its light (the formula for which has yet to be found) is still only a hint, a caress, in the silvery snows of Monet or in the pale skies of Pissarro. Ah, how one would like to prolong this moment of hesitation for ever, this moment of transition, when transparent blue shadows are putting black shadows to flight and bitumen disappears!”
Édouard Manet (1832–1883) said by 1883 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Get it down quickly, don't worry about the background. Just go for the tonal values. You see? When you look at it, and above all when you see how to render it as you see it, thats is, in such a way that its make the same impression on the viewer as it does on you, you don't look for, you don't see the lines on the paper over there, do you? And then, when you look at the whole thing you don't try to count the scales on the salmon, of course you don't. You see them as little silver pearls against grey and pink – isn't thats right? – look at the pink of the salmon, with the bone appearing white in the centre and then grays, like the shades of mother of pearl. And the grapes, now do you count each? No, of course not. What strikes you is their clear, amber colour and the bloom which models the form by softening it. What you have to decide with the cloth is where the highlights come and then the planes which are not in the direct light. Halftones are for the magasin pittoresque engravers. The folds will come by themselves if you put them in the proper place. Ah! M. Ingres, there's the man! We're all just children. There's the one who knew how to paint materials! Ask Bracquemond [Paris' artist and print-maker]. Above all, keep your colours fresh. [instructing his new protegee, the Spanish young woman-painter Eva Gonzales, circa 1869]”
Édouard Manet (1832–1883) said by 1883 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Manet, recorded by Philippe Burty, as cited in Manet by Himself, ed. Juliet Wilson-Bareau, Little Brown 2000, London; p. 52
“You would hardly believe, my dear fellow, how difficult it is to clap a solitary figure on a canvas and to concentrate the entire interest on that one solitary figure without it ceasing to be lively and full.. .Your portrait (1880) is an outstandingly sincere work. I remember as though it were yesterday the rapid, summary fashion in which I dealt with the glove of the ungloved hand. And when you said to me, at that very moment, 'Please not another touch', I felt we were so perfectly attuned that I couldn't resist the impulse to embrace you. Ah! Heaven send that no one takes it into his head later on to stick that portrait into a public collection!”
Édouard Manet (1832–1883) first seen 1880 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quote of Manet in his letter to Antonin Proust 1880, as quoted in Letters of the great artists – from Blake to Pollock -, Richard Friedenthal, Thames and Hudson, London, 1963, pp. 123-124