Draft:A Modern Olympia

A Modern Olympia (French: Une moderne Olympia) is a c. 1873–74 painting by Impressionist painter Paul Cézanne. The painting's title and subject are a homage to Édouard Manet's 1863 painting Olympia.

A Modern Olympia has been described as anticipating the Expressionist movement that would begin about forty years later.

The painting is currently owned by the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.

Description
Whereas in Manet's Olympia the courtesan's patron is only implied, in Cézanne's A Modern Olympia the cortesain's patron is depicted within the scene. The man's bald head, dark hair, full beard, and profile of the nose indicate that he is a self-portrait of Cézanne.

The patron, the man on the couch,

The animal's red collar indicates that it is a dog, despite its cat-like appearance.

History
Paul Cézanne painted A Modern Olympia in 1873 while living in Auvers-sur-Oise. Cézanne had previously been introduced Dr. Paul Gachet by his friend and fellow Impressionist Camille Pissarro. Dr. Gachet was a somewhat eccentric man and an amateur artist himself. He was interested in the new and revolutionary, and was also an admirer of Cézanne's paintings. Cézanne's decision to paint a homage to Édouard Manet's 1863 painting Olympia supposedly came following a conversation with Dr. Gachet. During the conversation, Gachet complimented Manet's Olympia. An unimpressed Cézanne said "What? The Olympia?... I could do that sort of thing." To which Gachet replied, "Well, do it then." Dr. Gachet bought the 1873 version of A Modern Olympia, and was reportedly present when it was painted. It was the first painting that Cézanne ever sold.

Dr. Gachet lent A Modern Olympia back to Cézanne for the First Impressionist Exhibition in 1874. Despite it's small size, Cézanne's A Modern Olympia was the subject of mockery and derision by critics and visitors more-so than any of the other paintings in the exhibition.

In 1951, the heirs of Dr. Gachet donated A Modern Olympia, along with the paintings House of Dr Gachet and Delft Vase, to the Louvre in Paris.

Other versions


Cézanne had previously painted a another version of A Modern Olympia three years earlier in c. 1869–70. This earlier version is also known as The Pasha.

Cézanne also created another homage to Manet's Olympia in c. 1877. This graphite and watercolor drawing is simply titled Olympia.

Copies by other artists
Several other copies of A Modern Olympia were made by contemporary artists. Dr. Paul Gachet, the painting's first owner, made at least two copies of his own: one in pen and ink, and another in oil on canvas. The artist Blanche Derousse, a pupil of Dr. Gachet, also made two copies at Dr. Gachet's request: one in watercolor, and another in drypoint.