Edouard Manet: “The Father of Impressionism”
27 January 2026 - 3 March 2026
10.45 – 12.45 Tuesdays
£83.00 – £415.00
Description
In 1863, a 31year old artist exhibited a masterpiece, Luncheon on the Grass (Déjeuner sur l’Herbe) at the notorious Salon des Refusés in Paris. From that moment on, Edouard Manet was as celebrated by younger artists, the future Impressionists, as he was deplored, mocked and excluded by the art establishment. Rejecting a comfortable life of success, Manet was to remain distinctive, both courageously innovative and reflecting tradition and the work of predecessors from Frans Hals to Francisco Goya.
“Nicole’s previous series on The English Renaissance was wonderful and greatly enlarged my understanding of those turbulent times. She is an exceptional lecturer”
Course Outline
27 January 2026 – Introduction and Background
Who was Edouard Manet? Why is he so significant? We begin with an overview of his life and career before exploring the broader context of an art world which goes far to explain the fortunes of those who sought to break with convention. Born into a wealthy and distinguished family, Manet was destined for the law but, after a brief and unsuccessful time at sea, his parents finally agreed to an artistic education. His early travels introduced him to Hals and Velasquez and to experiments with new and unexpected subjects which were, however, to win him early success.
03 February 2026 – 1863
1863 was a watershed year not just for painting in France but, eventually, for all Europe. In that year, the Salon des Refusés (Salon of the Refused) was a forum which gave the public access to the unconventional art rejected by official taste, and, at the heart of it, the epitome of artistic revolution, was Edouard Manet’s Déjeuner sur l’Herbe (Luncheon on the Grass).
10 February 2026 – A Painter of Modern Life
Manet and the Impressionists focused on the reality of life around them in the dynamically changing world of their late C19th, but he ranged beyond the familiar cafés and train stations to consider broader contemporary politics, from the bloody downfall of a régime in Mexico to a naval engagement of the American Civil War.
17 February 2026 – The Rule-Breakers
Manet’s genius was entirely individual but he was also part of a movement of new thought and transgressive thinkers. In France, Baudelaire, Mallarmé and Zola were his friends and admirers, he was to illustrate the mysterious and macabre works of Edgar Allan Poe and his friends and associates, famous and unknown, were to inspire his portraits. He was also at the forefront of a generation benefitting for the first time from new commercial opportunities.
24 February 2026 – Was Manet an Impressionist?
Manet is often called the “Father of Impressionism”, but was he himself an Impressionist? How far did he share their preoccupation with colour, outdoor painting, light itself, or even their subjects, and how far did he himself identify with them? Why does he continue to be considered such a remarkable and inspirational artist?
03 March 2026 – Visit to the Courtauld Gallery
Any entrance fees to Courtauld Gallery will be payable by participants on the day. Art Fund/Art Pass or Friend of Courtauld cards are acceptable.