Portrait of Zacharie Astruc 1866

Edouard Manet's "Portrait of Zacharie Astruc" (1866), currently housed in the Kunsthalle Bremen, depicts the French art critic Zacharie Astruc in a seated pose. This realist portrait, painted in Manet's characteristic style, features a simplified composition with a dark background, highlighting Astruc's figure. The painting is notable for its focus on the sitter's gaze and the loose brushstrokes that lend a sense of immediacy. The background includes a glimpse into another room, perhaps Astruc's own studio, adding a layer of intimacy and context to the portrait. Manet's portraits of his contemporaries, often bold in their brushwork and composition, challenged the conventions of portraiture in 19th-century France.