Painting Manet “Portrait of Emile Zola”
In early 1868, Manet proceeds to the portrait of Zola; this is an occasion to express gratitude to the writer who so bravely defended the artist. It is only natural that Manet intends this canvas for the Salon. Zola several times comes to pose in the painter’s studio, in the same workshop, which is easier to find: it does not have any amenities, it “almost collapses”; Here all the unsold canvasses of the author of “Olympia” are dumped.
Manet can not look at these unsold canvases without sadness and anxiety. Money is melting. Would he never sell anything like that? The exhibition of 1867 did not bring him a single buyer. Only insults. Will the jury not again accept his work? While capturing a completely traditional idea of success, Manet does not report that the jury is now almost unable to remove it. They talked too much about him. He has followers; he is the head of the school, the master of the new artistic youth. After Zola’s articles,
Manet ends the portrait of Zola in February. After listening to the advice of the writer, he includes one of the relatively old canvases sent to the Salon of 1868 – “The Woman with the Parrot” – it was written two years earlier, the quiz Meran was posing for him. The jury accepts both works without sound.
As soon as the Salon opened, Zola hurries to celebrate the victory. In a series of articles published on the occasion of this manifesto in the L’Evenement illustre, the writer states that “Manet’s success is complete.” I did not dare to even dream that he would be so swift and so worthy.
The inevitable admission – I predicted it as early as 1866 – is done slowly but surely. The audience gets used to it; criticism calms down and agrees to open his eyes; success is increasing. The public still does not understand much, but no longer laughs. Last Sunday I was very pleased, studying the faces of the audience, who stopped at the paintings of Edward Manet. After
All these assurances sin, no doubt, with some exaggeration. Critics do not really bypass Manet anymore. But enmity towards him still exists. His paintings are taken, but they are badly hung: “in the corner, too high or right next to the door.” The parrot in the picture “Woman with a parrot” causes the same flat wits as the once-cat in “Olympia”. However, there is obvious evolution. Kastanyari, who spoke so harshly about “Breakfast on the grass,” is not afraid to say now that Zola Manet is “one of the best portraits in the Salon.”
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