BACK TO THE ARTIST   Olympia, 1863           Details     Description     Artist Manet, Édouard Manetexhibited this painting at the Salon of 1865, two years after he had painted it. The public, already shocked by the combination of nudity and full dress in Le déjeuner sur l'herbe (Luncheon on the Grass), considered this display of nakedness altogether scandalous. Here the white flesh of a prostitute is made more emphatic by contrast to a black string tie, a black servant, and a sleekly sensual black cat. Critics and public alike felt insulted by the flatness of these shapes, because they were used to carefully rounded forms, modelled according to the precepts of the Academy. Today we can understand the violence of the reaction if we reflect that modern art – in the sense of denial of photographic illusion and affirmation of paintings as colour apply to a flat surface – dates from this and similar works ofManet.     Date 1863   Institution Musée d'Orsay     Medium Oil on canvas   Dimensions 130.5 x 190 cm