Nana and in front of the mirror by Manet

Monday with Edouard Manet!

The model was Henriette Hauser. A well-known grand cocotte at the time, Henriette was no stranger to posing as a courtesan since she was reportedly the mistress of the Prince of Orange.

One of the most novel characteristics of impressionism is that much of what you see is more or less "real"; it was actually happening or had just happened by the time it was painted. And the idea that contemporary life, rather than ancient worlds and past gods demanded to be captured in oil, pastel or watercolor was, in a word, revolutionary.

Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg, Germany, 1877

And compare her with Manet's "in front of the mirror" painted the year before:

Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY, USA, 1876

The focal point is the blue corset and really little else, don't you think?