Manet’s Monet Painting on His Studio Boat (1874)

Manet, Monet Painting in his Studio Boat (1874) Oil on canvas. Neue Pinakothek, Munich

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In this charming painting by Manet of Monet painting in his floating studio, with his wife next to him, you ought to expect some play on the similarity of their names.Take a close look first to see if you can find it for yourself, and then move on....

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Detail of Monet Painting

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That row of Ms decorating the awning is a clear reference to Manet in Monet. It is true that the awning may have looked like that anyway but that does not matter. Manet chose to place the string of letter-forms in the center of his composition and line them in black. It was his choice and his way of saying "This is me."

Yet, so little is known of how commonly an artist's initials are used in art, that no art historian has ever noticed them.

Notes:

Original Publication Date on EPPH: 08 Oct 2010. | Updated: 0. © Simon Abrahams. Articles on this site are the copyright of Simon Abrahams. To use copyrighted material in print or other media for purposes beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Websites may link to this page without permission (please do) but may not reproduce the material on their own site without crediting Simon Abrahams and EPPH.