Hat and Guitar
Portrait of Emile Zola
Boy With Tray
Fish And Oyster
My favorite thing about this painting is the copper pot behind the fish. The way Manet captured the light reflecting off the metal is positively breathtaking.
Asparagus Bunch
When Manet put this painting up for sale, people said that REAL asparagus was not worth the price of the painting. When someone bought the painting for more than its going price, Manet sent him the following painting of a lone asparagus spear with a note saying, "You were missing one."
Fruit On A Table
Manet's ability to capture the warm fuzzy texture of the peaches is astounding. The deep, dark colors set against the crisp whiteness of the tablecloth is particularly striking to me.
Bunch of Violets
My favorite part of this painting is the rich green Manet used to paint the stem and leaves of the violets. I also liked how he used the note to dedicate and sign his painting.
Flowers in a Crystal Vase
I absolutely love the way Manet paints crystal. It is breathtaking. . . that is really the only way to describe it.
Moss Roses in a Vase
Manet painted this towards the end of his life. Thus, the fallen flower in the lower left corner of the painting makes it even more powerful.
White Lilacs in a Crystal Vase
This is one of Manet's last paintings. The contrast of the vibrant white of the flowers and the shadows they create give a powerful sense of the will to live struggling against imminent death. Manet died of syphilis on April 30, 1883, ten days after having had a leg amputated for gangrene.