The Races - Édouard Manet

Through prior bequest of Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection

"The Races" by Édouard Manet (1865/72) Lithograph in black on ivory chine, laid down on ivory wove paper (chine collé).

Commentary

"The Races" by Édouard Manet (1865/72) invites a close look at how form and feeling work together. The print-based method rewards close viewing, where line, texture, and contrast do most of the expressive work. Themes to notice include Impressionism, lithograph. This piece is held in the source collection's Prints and Drawings collection. Édouard Manet is the artist behind this work. A useful anchor for reading the piece: Édouard Manet French, 1832-1883. The work is cataloged within a France cultural context. It is associated with the Impressionism period. How to look at this work: It is cataloged as lithograph, which gives a clue to how the museum frames the object. Its medium (Lithograph in black on ivory chine, laid down on ivory wove paper (chine collé)) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (Image: 35.5 × 51.3 cm (14 × 20 1/4 in.); Primary support: 36.6 × 51.1 cm (14 7/16 × 20 1/8 in.); Secondary support: 47.2 × 63.9 cm (18 5/8 × 25 3/16 in.)) suggest how intimate or monumental it may feel in person. Subject cues from the catalog include Impressionism, lithograph. Compare this reading with the museum record at the source collection: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/117526

Sources: Art Institute of Chicago; Art Institute of Chicago / Public Records; Art Institute of Chicago Collection Data