Olympia (published plate)

Olympia (published plate) by Édouard Manet: A work made of etching and aquatint in black on cream laid paper.

What to notice

Look at how Manet translates the scandalous reclining pose into stark black-and-white contrasts; the compressed print preserves the confrontation without the painting’s color.

Discover

Manet translated his painting Olympia into this small published plate. The print retains the reclining figure’s direct gaze and stark tonal confrontation, allowing the controversial modern composition to circulate in a compact black-and-white form.