Manet, Édouard (1832-1883)
Femme à la fourrure (Lady in a fur)
c.1880
Pastel on canvas, 55.8 × 45.8 cm
Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna
She looks out of the picture confidently. Her hair is carefully styled, the fur is casually draped over her shoulders. It almost seems as if the young woman wants to go out, were it not for the light shirt that only barely covers her chest. Famous portraits of women whose only item of clothing is a fur are by Titian and Peter Paul Rubens. But Manet interprets the motif very differently than his famous predecessors. His depiction does not seem exaggerated and distant, but rather like an authentic snapshot of life in Paris at that time. The painter further enhances the impression of spontaneity through his technique. He uses the pastel chalk coarsely and finely, casually and subtly at the same time. (Belvedere)