"In 1867 and 1868, [Manet] painted 'The Execution of Maximilian'.. .Its composition occupied him for many months. He first tried to discover the circumstances and details of the drama. This is why the three victims are painted so close to the execution squad, to accord with what actually occurred. When he was satisfied with the effect he intended, he began to paint his picture, with the help of the infantry platoon lent to him from a barracks, as models for the firing squad. He also asked two friends to pose for generals Mejía and Miramón, although he altered their heads. Only Maximilian's head was painted in the conventional way, from a photograph. When a first composition and even a second appeared not to match the detailed information he was finally able to obtain, he painted the work again, for the third time, in its final and definitive form [1868-69]."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Édouard Manet
59 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Édouard Manet →
Related Quotes
"So, they'd prefer me to do a nude, would they? Fine I'll do them a nude.. .I'll redo it [his painted copy of Giorgion…"
"How I miss you here [his friend in Paris - Manet visited Madrid and the famous museums there], and how delighted you …"
"Who is this Monet whose name sounds just like mine and who is taking advantage of my notoriety?"
"I should be going with Champfleury and Stevens, but they keep putting it off. Anyway, they are bloody bores. Excuse t…"
"My dear Zola, - I am making up my mind to hold a private show. I have at least two score pictures to exhibit. I've al…"
"Get it down quickly, don't worry about the background. Just go for the tonal values. You see? When you look at it, an…"
"You can do plein-air painting indoors, [to his pupil then, Berthe Morisot ] by painting white in the morning, lilac d…"
"I spent a long time, my dear Suzanne, looking for your photograph - I eventually found the album in the table in the …"
"Goodbye my dear Suzanne [his wife], your portraits are hanging in every corner of the bedroom, so I see you first and…"
"I don't know why I'm here. Everything before our eyes is ridiculous. The light is wrong, the shadows are wrong. When …"