Now showing until January 5th, 2003 at the Musée d’Orsay

If you love art for the good old-fashioned pleasure of seeing paint beautifully applied to a canvas, then this is the show for you. The curatorial goal is to demonstrate the influence of 17thc Spanish artists—Velazquez, Goya and Zurburan—on 19thc French artists like Manet, Delacroix, and Courbet. But in order to make that convincing case, the curators also happened to assemble an extraordinarily gorgeous group of paintings. Half of these hail from what is referred to as the “Golden Age” of Spanish painting, and the other half from a time when the French avant-garde never looked better.

Some visitors to “Spanish Manner” may find that Baroque manner a bit heavy on the religion. But even a modern agnostic has to be moved by the Spanish masters’ sublime use of shadows and light. Manet certainly was; he considered Velazquez in particular to be “the painter of painters.” As you can see for yourself in the major collection of Manets assembled here, the Frenchman studied the subtleties of the Spaniard’s spare, dramatic effects quite closely.

The 19th century French vogue for all things Spanish (nationalities, like fashions, apparently have their popular moments!) meant that artists had increased opportunity to see these works first-hand. The curators have thoroughly documented the when, where, and how of these encounters, and their wall texts will certainly please the egg-head art historians in the crowd. For everyone else, the paintings are quite enough of a story.

Calling All Manet Fans!
Double Feature at the Musée d’Orsay

Planning to visit the Musée d’Orsay in the next few months? Allow us to recommend an ideal pairing—a Paris Muse “Impressionists” tour followed by a visit to the “Spanish Manner” exhibition.

By studying both Manet’s “Olympia” and “Dejeuner sur l’herbe” in depth, the tour serves as solid introduction to the his radical innovations. And a subsequent visit to the “Spanish Manner” show then offers a unique opportunity to see the full range of his painterly gifts. It’s been drawing enthusiastic Parisian crowds for precisely that reason!

For more about this tour and the arts in Paris, visit Paris Muse, offering private museum tours for the creative traveler