Portrait of Monsieur Brun

Edouard Manet

1832 - 1883

Portrait of Monsieur Brun

c. 1879
Oil on canvas 194.3 x 126 cm
Donated by the heirs of Mr. Kojiro Matsukata (ex-Matsukata Collection)
P.1984-2

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This work was created when Manet, a great French painter, was 51 and at the end of his career. Manet undoubtedly sought to depict the "modern" in this painting of a figure so emblematic of his class that he could appear in a naturalist novel. Manet employed his distinctive technique of applying paint directly with fresh brush strokes without underpainting, rendering a fresh, sparkling painting surface that makes the work appear newly painted.

(Source: The Digital Gallery. 1999-2006)