Manet's Modernism: or, The Face of Painting in the 1860s

Michael Fried's book examines the work of French painter Édouard Manet during the pivotal decade of the 1860s. The analysis focuses on Manet's major paintings from this period and their relationship to both past artistic traditions and emerging modernist approaches. The text draws extensively on contemporary 19th century art criticism and documentation to reconstruct how Manet's work was initially received and understood. Fried explores the specific formal strategies Manet employed in his compositions, particularly his treatment of figure-ground relationships and pictorial space. The study places Manet's innovations within the broader context of French painting during the Second Empire, examining his connections to and departures from contemporaries like Courbet. Technical analysis of individual canvases is supported by archival research and theoretical frameworks from art history and criticism. This investigation of Manet's 1860s oeuvre reveals broader insights about the emergence of modernist painting and its relationship to traditional representational practices. The work contributes to ongoing scholarly debates about the nature of pictorial absorption versus theatricality in Western art.

Readers appreciate Fried's thorough analysis of Manet's artistic evolution and his detailed exploration of how Manet's work relates to previous painters like Courbet. Many note the value of his concepts of "absorption" versus "theatricality" in understanding 19th-century painting. Common criticisms focus on Fried's dense academic writing style and repetitive arguments. Several readers mention struggling with the text's complexity and philosophical terminology. One reviewer on Amazon noted it "requires multiple readings to grasp the core arguments." Ratings: Goodreads: 4.14/5 (14 ratings) Amazon: 4.5/5 (4 ratings) Review quotes: "Deep but difficult" - Goodreads reviewer "Brilliant analysis buried in overwrought prose" - Amazon reviewer "Changed how I view Manet's work" - Goodreads reviewer The book receives more attention from art history academics than general readers, with most reviews coming from those with art history backgrounds.

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The Painting of Modern Life by T.J. Clark This analysis of Paris and Parisian painting in the 1860s and 1870s explores how artists including Manet depicted the changing social fabric of urban modernity.

Theories of Modern Art by Herschel B. Chipp The collection presents primary source materials and writings from modern artists and critics who shaped the theoretical foundations of modernist painting.

Eyesight Alone by Caroline A. Jones This investigation of critic Clement Greenberg's theories connects modernist art criticism to broader cultural and historical developments in twentieth-century visual culture.

🎨 Michael Fried developed his influential theory of "theatrical absorption" through his analysis of Manet's paintings, arguing that the artist deliberately broke with traditional modes of viewer engagement. 🖼️ The book explores how Manet's work in the 1860s marked a radical shift in painting, particularly in the way his subjects often seem to acknowledge and confront the viewer with their gaze. 👨‍🎨 Despite focusing on Manet, Fried traces a lineage through French painting from Jean-Baptiste Greuze to Gustave Courbet, showing how Manet both inherited and disrupted this artistic tradition. 📚 The author, Michael Fried, is not only an art historian but also a noted poetry critic and philosopher, bringing an interdisciplinary approach to his analysis of Manet's work. 🎭 Manet's painting "Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe" (1863), a central work discussed in the book, caused a scandal at the Salon des Refusés for its modern approach to classical themes and its confrontational composition.