The ‘Father of Impressionism’: Édouard Manet

The ‘Father of Impressionism’: The scandalous and innovative works of Édouard Manet

Why were policemen hired to protect Manet’s Olympia from being attacked?

The work was greeted with shock and disgust when it was exhibited at the 1865 Salon of Paris: “Such indecency!”, “It recalls the horror of the morgue!”, “Dirty hands and wrinkled feet!”

Instead of painting an idealised view of feminine beauty, Manet depicted a realistic and provocative French courtesan.

He rebelled against all the ‘rules’ and sent shockwaves through the Paris art world. What Manet didn’t realise was that his scandalous painting would mark the start of Modern Art.

This talk considers Manet’s most celebrated works including Olympia, Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe and A Bar at the Folies-Bergère. It looks at how his paintings of ‘truth’ changed the entire course of Art History.

For more information and to find out about future talks please visit www.stellagracelyons.co.uk

Stella Grace Lyons is a freelance Art History lecturer, speaker and writer accredited with The Arts Society. She has lectured across the UK, Ireland, Spain, Norway, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Malaysia and will soon embark on a lecturing tour in Australasia.

Stella gained her BA in the History of Art with a 1st class in her dissertation from the University of Bristol (2007-2011), and her MA in History of Art from the University of Warwick.

She spent a year studying Renaissance art in Italy at the British Institute of Florence, and three months studying Venetian art in Venice. In addition, she attended drawing classes at the prestigious Charles H. Cecil studios in Florence, a private atelier that follows a curriculum based on the leading ateliers of nineteenth century Paris.

Stella runs her own Art History lectures and is a regular lecturer in the UK and Europe for The Arts Society, ACE Cultural Tours, Hebridean Island Cruises, Saga’s Art Appreciation Tours, and the National Trust, amongst others. Stella is also a part-time lecturer for the University of South Wales.

She has written about art for several publications and her article on Norwegian art was recently featured on the front cover of the Arts Society Magazine. In addition to her lecturing work, Stella works as an artist’s model for the internationally renowned figurative artist, Harry Holland.