Here are some facts about Edouard Manet, the French artist.
- Edouard Manet was born on 23rd January 1832 in Paris, France.
- His parents were wealthy. His mother was the goddaughter of the Swedish crown prince, Charles Bernadotte, and his father was a judge.
- In 1848, the young Edouard Manet sailed to Rio de Janeiro on a training ship. He applied to join the navy, but twice failed the entrance examination.
- He decided to follow his interest in art and received training from the painter Thomas Couture.
- In the 1850s Manet travelled in Europe, visiting Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.
- Manet opened his studio in 1856, producing paintings with subject matter including gypsies, bullfights and singers. He used loose strokes and his paintings appeared to be fresh and modern.
- He was friends with some of the impressionist painters, such as: Claude Monet, Paul Cezanne and Edgar Degas.
- He created lithographs for The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe.
- He married Suzanne Leenhoff in 1863.
- Some his most well-known works of art include: The Luncheon on the Grass, Music in the Tuileries, Olympia, The Cafe Concert, The Beer Drinkers, The Races at Longchamp, The Railway and A Bar at the Folies-Bergere.
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