Olympia is a painting by Édouard Manet, first exhibited at the 1865 Paris Salon, which shows a nude woman ("Olympia") lying on a bed being brought flowers by a servant. Olympia was modelled by Victorine Meurent and Olympia's servant by the art model Laure. Olympia's confrontational gaze caused shock and astonishment when the painting was first exhibited because a number of details in the picture identified her as a prostitute. The French government acquired the painting in 1890 after a public subscription organized by Claude Monet.
The painting is on display at the Musée d'Orsay, in Paris.
See also Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe, another Manet painting which was criticised for its depiction of nudity.
Olympia provides examples of:
- Art Imitates Art:
- The painting itself deliberately pays homage to Titian's Venus of Urbino.
- Olympia's fame would go on to inspire a number of homages, including Portrait (Futago) by Yasumasa Morimura and A Modern Olympia by Paul Cézanne.
- Hand-or-Object Underwear: The model is covering her genitals with her left hand.
- High-Class Call Girl: Subverted. The nude woman is a prostitute, not a high-class girl. Instead, it's the person she is modeling for who is high class. In other words, her client, who is so rich that he has even assigned Olympia a servant. Additionally, the name "Olympia" is a French slang term for prostitute.
- Hotter and Sexier: Compared to other portrayals of the Reclining Venus, Olympia is very sexualized and the character is very aware of it. That's why this painting was considered scandalous in its time because of the naked woman's confrontational gaze and the details suggesting she is a prostitute — such as her bracelet, pearl earrings, and the orchid in her hair.
- Impressionism: Its Main Character is neither a noblewoman nor a deity. This has the implication of Olympia's nudity being for titillation instead of an idealization of the subject. Moreover, the painting has borders, as if it was a half-painted sketch. It also gives her a sort of cartoonish look. This is the complete opposite of how Neoclassicism and Academicism draw people.
- It's Not Porn, It's Art: This painting was met with outrage from critics for depicting a Slice of Life scene with a prostitute as the focal point. Furthermore, the character is very aware and uncaring of her nudity, even looking defiantly at the viewer. Manet's response to his critics was this trope.
- One-Word Title: The artwork's title is merely Olympia.
- Our Nudity Is Different: It was considered immoral and vulgar, not because of the nudity, but because the details of the painting imply that the woman is a prostitute, and also because the woman is staring directly at the viewer, unashamed of her nudity. It's a case of Your Normal Is Our Taboo.
- Protagonist Title: The character's name is Olympia, which is also the piece's title.
- Reclining Venus: It features a female, nude escort lying on a bed being brought flowers by a servant.
- Rule of Symbolism: The model wears nothing but a black ribbon around her neck, a gold bracelet on her wrist, Louis XV slippers on her feet, and a silk flower in her hair — all symbols of wealth and sensuality. The composition includes a black cat, symbolizing heightened sexuality and prostitution — a characteristically Baudelarian symbol.
