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

Manet painted The Old Musician in 1862, when he was heavily influenced by Spanish art, and depicts an elderly man playing the violin. Courbet can also be seen in this painting, thanks to his influence. As one of Manet’s largest works, this one is presently housed in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, where it has been preserved.

All About The Old Musician

Seven people are depicted in a landscape in this picture. Local Gypsy band leader Jean Lagrène can be seen practising his violin with an elderly man in his 70s. There is a young girl holding a baby and two young boys on the left. Colardet, a rag picker and ironmonger, may be seen in the background.

It is Guéroult (the “wandering Jew”), the Oriental man with a turban and long robe, who is seen on the right. They appear to be influenced by Diego Velázquez or Louis Le Nain, based on their attitudes and clothing.

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, on the other hand, is clearly influenced by the small kid in a straw hat.

Information Citations

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