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Lot Essay
THIS PICTURE IS COMMONLY DATED CIRCA 1856 BY SPECIALISTS, THE YEAR IN WHICH MANET LEFT THOMAS COUTURE'S WORKSHOP WHERE HE HAD SPENT SIX YEARS AS A PUPIL. HE MOVED INTO A STUDIO IN THE RUE LAVOISSIER, WHICH HE SHARED WITH THE PAINTER ALBERT DE BALLEROY AND BEGAN TO ABANDON THE CLASSICAL TRADITION AND CONVENTIONAL STANDARDS HE HAD LEARNED IN COUTURE'S WORKSHOP. HIS PAINT WORK LOOSENED AND HIS BRUSHSTROKE BECAME BROADER AND MORE IMPULSIVE. IT WAS AROUND THIS TIME THAT MANET DECIDED TO COMPLETE HIS TRAINING BY TRAVELLING EXTENSIVELY IN EUROPE. HE VISITED GERMANY, AUSTRIA, THE NETHERLANDS AND ITALY.
DURING THE COURSE OF HIS TRAVELS HE PAINTED VERSIONS OF NUMEROUS OLD MASTER PICTURES, INCLUDING THE PRESENT INTERPRETATION OF REMBRANDT'S THE ANATOMY LESSON OF 1632 WHICH HUNG IN THE HAGUE. THE ORIGINAL PAINTING WAS COMMISSIONED FROM REMBRANDT JUST AFTER HIS ARRIVAL IN AMSTERDAM, IN ORDER TO COMMEMORATE A LESSON GIVEN BY THE FAMOUS ANATOMIST DR. TULP. REMBRANDT INNOVATED BY APPLYING HIS EXPERIENCE AS A HISTORY PAINTER TO THE PROBLEM OF CREATING A LIVELY COMPOSITION OF THIS INHERENTLY FORMAL SUBJECT. HE PLACES TULP OFF-CENTRE, TO THE RIGHT, AND ARRANGES THE SEVEN SURGEONS IN A HUMAN PYRAMID WITHIN A ARCHED RECESS WHICH GIVES A SENSE OF DEPTH TO THE WHOLE COMPOSITION. THE SECOND ORIGINAL ASPECT OF REMBRANDT'S PICTURE IS THE FACT THAT THE CORPSE IS UNTOUCHED SAVE FOR THE HAND WHEN USUALLY THE ABDOMINAL CAVITY AND THE BRAIN WERE OPENED FIRST. THIS ENABLES REMBRANDT TO USE THE WHOLE CORPSE AS A REPOUSSOIR. HE PAINTED THE CORPSE WITH A VERY LIGHT PALETTE, CREATING A STRIKING CONTRAST WITH THE BACKGROUND AND A SENSE OF CHIAROSCHURO THROUGHOUT. IT WAS THIS, UNDOUBTEDLY, THAT CAPTURED MANET'S ATTENTION.
MANET INTERPRETS REMBRANDT'S COMPOSITION WITH GREAT VIRTUOSITY AND PANACHE. DR. TULP AND HIS SEVEN ASSISTANTS ARE RENDERED WITH BROAD EXPRESSIVE BRUSH-STROKES, REMBRANDT'S RICH PALETTE IS REDUCED TO JUST FOUR COLOURS AND THE WHOLE COMPOSITION IS REDUCED TO A MERE 24.8 X 39.1 CM.
THIS IS MANET'S ONLY PAINTING AFTER REMBRANDT TO HAVE SURVIVED. THéODORE DURET MENTIONS ANOTHER THAT THE ARTIST PAINTED AFTER A PICTURE IN MUNICH WHICH IS NOW LOST (T. DURET, HISTOIRE D'EDOUARD MANET ET DE SON OEUVRE, PARIS, 1902, P. 13).
FITTINGLY, THE PRESENT PICTURE WAS GIVEN BY MANET TO HIS PERSONAL PARISIAN PHYSICIAN, DR. SIREDEY.
DURING THE COURSE OF HIS TRAVELS HE PAINTED VERSIONS OF NUMEROUS OLD MASTER PICTURES, INCLUDING THE PRESENT INTERPRETATION OF REMBRANDT'S THE ANATOMY LESSON OF 1632 WHICH HUNG IN THE HAGUE. THE ORIGINAL PAINTING WAS COMMISSIONED FROM REMBRANDT JUST AFTER HIS ARRIVAL IN AMSTERDAM, IN ORDER TO COMMEMORATE A LESSON GIVEN BY THE FAMOUS ANATOMIST DR. TULP. REMBRANDT INNOVATED BY APPLYING HIS EXPERIENCE AS A HISTORY PAINTER TO THE PROBLEM OF CREATING A LIVELY COMPOSITION OF THIS INHERENTLY FORMAL SUBJECT. HE PLACES TULP OFF-CENTRE, TO THE RIGHT, AND ARRANGES THE SEVEN SURGEONS IN A HUMAN PYRAMID WITHIN A ARCHED RECESS WHICH GIVES A SENSE OF DEPTH TO THE WHOLE COMPOSITION. THE SECOND ORIGINAL ASPECT OF REMBRANDT'S PICTURE IS THE FACT THAT THE CORPSE IS UNTOUCHED SAVE FOR THE HAND WHEN USUALLY THE ABDOMINAL CAVITY AND THE BRAIN WERE OPENED FIRST. THIS ENABLES REMBRANDT TO USE THE WHOLE CORPSE AS A REPOUSSOIR. HE PAINTED THE CORPSE WITH A VERY LIGHT PALETTE, CREATING A STRIKING CONTRAST WITH THE BACKGROUND AND A SENSE OF CHIAROSCHURO THROUGHOUT. IT WAS THIS, UNDOUBTEDLY, THAT CAPTURED MANET'S ATTENTION.
MANET INTERPRETS REMBRANDT'S COMPOSITION WITH GREAT VIRTUOSITY AND PANACHE. DR. TULP AND HIS SEVEN ASSISTANTS ARE RENDERED WITH BROAD EXPRESSIVE BRUSH-STROKES, REMBRANDT'S RICH PALETTE IS REDUCED TO JUST FOUR COLOURS AND THE WHOLE COMPOSITION IS REDUCED TO A MERE 24.8 X 39.1 CM.
THIS IS MANET'S ONLY PAINTING AFTER REMBRANDT TO HAVE SURVIVED. THéODORE DURET MENTIONS ANOTHER THAT THE ARTIST PAINTED AFTER A PICTURE IN MUNICH WHICH IS NOW LOST (T. DURET, HISTOIRE D'EDOUARD MANET ET DE SON OEUVRE, PARIS, 1902, P. 13).
FITTINGLY, THE PRESENT PICTURE WAS GIVEN BY MANET TO HIS PERSONAL PARISIAN PHYSICIAN, DR. SIREDEY.