Mendiant en manteau, Le Philosophe (1865-1867)

Manet, Édouard (1832-1883)

Mendiant en manteau, Le Philosophe (Beggar with a Duffle Coat, Philosopher)
18651867
Oil on canvas, 187.7 × 109.9 cm
Art Institute of ChicagoChicago

This painting and Beggar with Oysters were probably conceived as companion pieces. Édouard Manet exhibited them together in 1872, along with paintings of an absinthe drinker and a ragpicker, under the collective title Philosophers. The beggars of Paris, nonconformist types under threat from government schemes intended to drive them out of the city, held a particular fascination for Realist artists and writers. By setting his large-scale figures against empty, dark backgrounds, Manet added to their portraitlike, indeed heroic, presence. By a remarkable coincidence, at the turn of the 20th century, these two closely related works found their way by very different means to the Art Institute’s collection. (AIC)

Compare:

Manet, Édouard (1832-1883)
Mendiant avec des huîtres, Le Philosophe
18651867
Art Institute of ChicagoChicago