The Luncheon on the Grass 1863

When does art become indecent? According to the judges of the 1863 Salon, Manet’s Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe (The Luncheon on the Grass) crossed the line into vulgarity. The French Impressionist Édouard Manet (1832-1883) scandalised 19th century Parisian society with his vast canvas depicting a naked woman casually sitting alongside two fashionably dressed men. In the background, another partially naked woman bathes in a small pond in the forest clearing. Manet’s composition was taken from Mercantonio Raimondi’s Renaissance print The Judgement of Paris (c. 1510-20). Designed by Raphael (1483-1520), the print was celebrated as a model for traditional academic painting. Though it might seem ordinary to today’s viewer, the painting radically broke from artistic, academic, and social conventions. Unlike the traditions of Renaissance nudes and pastoral scenes, the figures in Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe are not taken from classical mythology. Instead, Manet has depicted everyday Parisians, recognisable through the stylish clothing of the men. The figures are not idealised or timeless, but ordinary and real. The naked woman gazes directly out of the canvas, confronting the viewer. Unlike the women in classical nudes, she is not posed – instead, she seems to be unconcernedly aware of her nakedness. This representation challenged accepted norms and taboos of female sexuality. Why was Manet’s painting judged so differently to other nudes? What can the reaction to the painting tell us about the values of Parisian society in the 1860s? Editor: Lucy Jude Grantham