Artwork
Head of Jean-Baptiste Faure (1830–1914)
Head of Jean-Baptiste Faure (1830–1914) is an oil painting by the Academic Art artist Édouard Manet. It is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
As a genre painting classified as a portrait, the piece focuses entirely on the representation of this man, capturing his likeness through oil paint on canvas.
The work depicts Jean-Baptiste Faure, a specific male individual, serving as the main subject of this 1882 portrait by Édouard Manet. As a genre painting classified as a portrait, the piece focuses entirely on the representation of this man, capturing his likeness through oil paint on canvas. The iconography is straightforward, centering on the figure of Faure himself without additional symbolic elements or narrative scenes described in the available records.
The artwork functions as a direct visual record of the sitter, created during the academic art movement. Its meaning is derived from its role as a specific likeness of Faure, preserving his image within the context of late 19th-century portraiture held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1882, this portrait utilizes oil paint applied to a canvas support. The work measures 46 cm in height by 37.8 cm in width. Stylistically, the piece is associated with the academic art movement while functioning as a portrait genre study.
The composition focuses on the head of the singer Jean-Baptiste Faure, capturing the likeness of the male subject through Manet's painterly approach. The handling of the medium reflects the artist's late-period engagement with portraiture, characterized by direct application of pigment to define facial features against a neutral ground.
History & Provenance
Édouard Manet painted the Head of Jean-Baptiste Faure in 1882, producing an oil-on-canvas portrait of the French baritone Jean-Baptiste Faure. The work was created during the later phase of Manet's career, when he produced a series of portraits of Faure, the celebrated opera singer. The painting entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is currently held.
The canvas measures 46 by 37.8 centimeters, consistent with the intimate scale of a head study. Beyond its dating to 1882 and its eventual accession into the Metropolitan Museum's holdings, the available sources do not document the intermediate ownership chain, the circumstances of commission, or the specific acquisition history of the work.
Overview
Édouard Manet's oil painting, Head of Jean-Baptiste Faure, created around 1870, captures the likeness of the prominent French baritone. This intimate portrait, now housed at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, presents Faure in a close-up view, emphasizing his facial features and expression. The work exemplifies Manet's characteristic approach to portraiture, combining direct observation with a distinctive painterly style.
Context
Close-up portraits, focusing intently on the face, were a common practice among artists in the 1800s. This compositional choice allowed painters to meticulously examine and convey the subtleties of human expression and individual character. Manet's portrayal of Faure aligns with this trend, offering an unvarnished and immediate impression of the sitter, rather than a grand or symbolic representation.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Édouard Manet was a French modernist painter. He was one of the first 19th-century artists to paint modern life, as well as a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism.
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