Fish (Still Life)
1864
oil
From the collection of Art Institute of Chicago
1864
oil
From the collection of Art Institute of Chicago
You see a wooden table with two fish, a lemon, and a knife. Manet painted this in just a few days—almost like a warm-up. The fish look fresh, but the colors are flat, not shiny. That was his choice. Most still lifes at the time tried to fool the eye. Manet didn’t. If you like this, look up *impasto*—how thick paint can make a picture feel alive.
