Boy with cherries Édouard Manet (1832-1883)
Édouard Manet – Boy with cherries
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Painter: Édouard Manet
Location: Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, Lisbon (Museu Calouste Gulbenkian).
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The painting was painted in 1858. Édouard Manet was a great French painter. He also did engraving and was one of the founders of Impressionism. Early in the formation of his artistic career, Manet began working with the very famous Couture at the time. He spent a lot of time in his studio, but he was not satisfied with the painting of the time. In the room where the artist worked, there was an apprentice, Alexander.
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Description of Eduard Manet’s painting Boy with Cherries
The painting was painted in 1858.
Édouard Manet was a great French painter. He also did engraving and was one of the founders of Impressionism.
Early in the formation of his artistic career, Manet began working with the very famous Couture at the time. He spent a lot of time in his studio, but he was not satisfied with the painting of the time. In the room where the artist worked, there was an apprentice, Alexander. The boy was 15 years old, he cleaned the studio and did small jobs.
Manet developed a friendship with the boy. He began to portray him on his canvases. Vitality and energy of the boy inspired him. Manet wrote from life, also created sketches for further work. In the painting "Boy with Cherries" depicts exactly the same boy-apprentice. His playful gaze looks at the viewer. The face is highlighted by sunlight. Manet was a great master of portraits. But the seemingly calm and beautiful work has a tragic story.
One day, coming into the studio, Manet did not find Alexander. He began to look for him and found him hanging himself in the next room. The body was already cold and the thin rope had severely cut into his neck. It came as a lifelong shock to the artist. The story also served as the subject for Baudelaire’s story "The Rope."
It took a long time for Manet to recover from what he had seen, and he looked for a new studio to work in. But everywhere he was haunted by the image of Alexander, which had once been the inspiration for his portraits. Manet bypassed many addresses where he could rent premises. Once he found a suitable place, but when he saw a nail in the wall, he ran out. He thought he saw the gallows everywhere. How could this cheerful, naughty boy have done that to him.
Undoubtedly, this story went down in the history of world art.
The painting is in France.
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He holds a leafy bundle overflowing with ripe cherries in his hands. A few stray cherries have fallen onto the surface he leans against, which seems to be a stone ledge or windowsill. The handling of light is significant; it illuminates the boys face and the cherries, while leaving much of the background shrouded in shadow. This creates a sense of depth and focuses attention on the central figure and his bounty.
The painting’s subtexts are layered. The boy’s direct gaze establishes an immediate connection with the observer, inviting a degree of intimacy. His expression is not entirely innocent; theres a hint of knowingness or perhaps even slight defiance in his eyes. This complicates any straightforward reading of him as simply a child enjoying cherries.
The cherries themselves carry symbolic weight. They can be interpreted as emblems of abundance and pleasure, but also potentially allude to themes of temptation and fleeting enjoyment – the sweetness is paired with the knowledge that they will soon disappear. The dark background contributes to an atmosphere of ambiguity; it obscures context and allows for multiple interpretations. It suggests a world beyond the boy’s immediate presence, hinting at social or economic circumstances that remain unstated.
The overall effect is one of quiet observation, capturing a moment in time with a nuanced portrayal of youth, innocence, and perhaps a touch of underlying complexity.