How Edouard Manet Changed The Way We Look At Art

“Manet portrayed his model as more than an object to be considered, but a subject who is also considering us. … [It] is her unflinching gaze that struck Manet’s contemporaries with feelings of violent unease. She was not just another nude model depicted for the pleasure of the spectator. Rather, in giving us a courtesan regarding us, Manet created a new kind of encounter between patrons and painting.”