Portrait of Zacharie Astruc 1866

Édouard Manet painted this portrait of Zacharie Astruc using oil on canvas. Manet's art challenged the norms of the Parisian art world and Astruc, a fellow artist, was an early champion of his work. Astruc was part of a vanguard of artists, writers, and critics who sought to challenge the academic establishment in France. Like other paintings of the time, it offers a glimpse into the social and intellectual circles that fostered the development of modern art. The setting and objects convey Astruc's intellectual interests. The books and papers on the table denote him as a man of letters. The Japanese screen in the background signals his interest in Japonisme, which was a major influence on European modernism at the time. It speaks to the emergence of a new set of cultural and artistic values that were self-consciously modern and avant-garde. By studying the networks of artists, critics, and institutions of the time, we can gain a deeper understanding of the social forces that shaped the art world of 19th-century Paris.