Battle of the Kearsarge and the Alabama

Battle of the Kearsarge and the Alabama

Manet, Edouard

Oil on Canvas

53 x 50 inches

1864

Born into a bourgeoisie household in Paris, France, in 1832, Edouard Manet was fascinated by painting at a young age.  Manet’s most famous works include “The Luncheon on the Grass and Olympia,”  Manet led the French transition from realism to impressionism.  By the time of his death, in 1883, he was a respected revolutionary artist.

http://www.biography.com/people/edouard-manet-9397188

Manet’s unconventional depiction of a naval battle between the Union frigate Kearsarge and the Confederate vessel Alabama off the Normandy coast drew mixed reviews.  Some complained of the lack of clarity in presenting the opposing vessels; others found the arbitrarily high vantage point and wide expanse of water disconcerting; most deplored the painting’s lack of drama.

The Great Book of French Impressionism
Diane Kelder
Harrison House, New York
1984

All paintings were selected solely on the basis that they fit within the theme of boats or ships, and that I felt emotionally moved by them