All About The old musician
by Edouard Manet

Title of Artwork: “The old musician”

Artwork by Edouard Manet Year Created 1862

Summary of The old musician

An oil painting on canvas by Édouard Manet, The Old Musician, was created in 1862, during a time when the artist was heavily influenced by Spanish art. The work of Gustave Courbet can also be seen in the artwork. The National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, houses one of Manet’s largest works, which is now in the possession of the museum.

All About The old musician

There are seven people depicted on a landscape in the picture. Jean Lagrène, the band leader of a local gypsy band, is the elderly musician in the centre who is getting ready to play the violin. There is a young girl holding a baby and two young boys on the left. He is the rag picker and ironmonger, Colardet, who can be seen in the background. Guéroult, a “wandering Jew,” is represented by the Oriental man with a turban and a long robe on the right. The characters’ demeanour and attire seem to be influenced by paintings by Diego Velázquez or Louis Le Nain. There are a number of allusions in the work, including one to The Absinthe Drinker, which was painted by Manet several years before and returns here without any apparent explanation. Antoine Watteau’s Pierrot is a clear influence on the young kid with the straw hat in the painting.

Information Citations

En.wikipedia.org, https://en.wikipedia.org/.