Head of Jean-Baptiste Faure 1883

Edouard Manet captured this oil painting of Jean-Baptiste Faure, a prominent opera singer, during the 19th century. The portrait, with its detailed facial features, draws us into the subject’s psyche, but it is the beard that commands particular attention. Beards have historically signified wisdom, strength, and masculinity, dating back to ancient civilizations. Think of the Egyptian pharaohs or the Greek philosophers, their beards symbols of authority and intellect. Yet, in Manet's time, the beard also represented a shift towards individual expression and a departure from clean-shaven societal norms. Consider how this differs from depictions of figures like John the Baptist, often portrayed with a wild, untamed beard, a sign of his prophetic and ascetic life. Faure's neatly trimmed beard suggests a cultivated persona, a performer aware of his image. This is a cyclical return of an ancient symbol, now imbued with modern identity and self-awareness.