Moyra Ashford - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Writer, specializing in Brazil.
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A small minority of scholars have ventured that Manet's impetus for breaking from tradition stemm... more A small minority of scholars have ventured that Manet's impetus for breaking from tradition stemmed from memories of his 1849 voyage to Brazil. This view is eschewed by the majority and the museum establishment, who hold to a French and classical origin. Through a close examination of early written sources, the paintings themselves and links to 19 th century Rio, the author proposes that Manet worked distinct Rio memories into two pivotal paintings: The Picnic, which he set in the forests of Guanabara Bay; Olympia (1863) was inspired not by a Parisian brothel, but by slave-owning, midnineteenth century Rio de Janeiro. This article recounts how the research unfolded.
This study discusses Edouard Manet's 1849 voyage to Brazil, presents evidence to connect this exp... more This study discusses Edouard Manet's 1849 voyage to Brazil, presents evidence to connect this experience to his body of work and suggests new keys to old mysteries. A few contemporaries noted Brazil's impact on Manet's artistic vision but did not analyse it within specific paintings. Writer Emile Zola defined the 1849 journey as Manet's 'coup de tête'; a friend held that tropical light was responsible for recalibrating Manet's tonal perception. Manet's stay in Rio was longer than is often implied-a full nine weeks anchored in Rio's Guanabara Bay, with twice-weekly forays into Rio city and nearby countryside. A shock of recognition hit while scrutinising Le Déjeuner sur L'Herbe (1863): Brazilian signifiers in the grey mountain, the toad and 'the cherries of June, figs of September' that have long puzzled scholars, plus additional Brazilian elements not previously identified. Looking at Olympia, the maid's costume and demeanour is far more appropriate to a Brazilian slave than to an odalisque. By relating historical accounts of mid-century Rio de Janeiro and its French immigrants to Manet's observations in the letters he wrote home, it was possible to identify the places he visited and the French family he stayed with. This perspective led to the conclusion that Olympia (1863) was conjured from a remembered scene in Rio. In summary, convinced of Brazil's small but vital role in Manet's psyche and work, I consider the process by which sources become official and suggest further avenues of research. 2 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Papers by Moyra Ashford
ARS, Dec 31, 2020
A small minority of scholars have ventured that Manet's impetus for breaking from tradition stemm... more A small minority of scholars have ventured that Manet's impetus for breaking from tradition stemmed from memories of his 1849 voyage to Brazil. This view is eschewed by the majority and the museum establishment, who hold to a French and classical origin. Through a close examination of early written sources, the paintings themselves and links to 19 th century Rio, the author proposes that Manet worked distinct Rio memories into two pivotal paintings: The Picnic, which he set in the forests of Guanabara Bay; Olympia (1863) was inspired not by a Parisian brothel, but by slave-owning, midnineteenth century Rio de Janeiro. This article recounts how the research unfolded.
Hahr-hispanic American Historical Review, Aug 1, 1996
Times literary supplement, TLS, 1997
ARS, 2020
A arte moderna teve inicio com Le Dejeuner sur L’Herbe (1863), de Edouard Manet. Alguns poucos e... more A arte moderna teve inicio com Le Dejeuner sur L’Herbe (1863), de Edouard Manet. Alguns poucos estudiosos sugeriram que seu impeto em se desvencilhar da tradicao derivava de reminiscencias de sua viagem ao Brasil, em 1849. Essa interpretacao e rechacada pela maioria e pelo establishment dos museus, apegados a uma origem classica e francesa. Examinando detidamente fontes escritas primarias, as proprias pinturas e aspectos do Rio oitocentista, a autora defende que Manet elaborou diversas memorias da cidade em duas pinturas fundamentais: Le Dejeuner, que teria sido ambientada nas matas da Baia de Guanabara, e Olympia (1863), inspirada nao em um bordel parisiense, mas no Rio de Janeiro escravocrata da metade daquele seculo. Este artigo relata como tal pesquisa foi desenvolvida.
Times literary supplement, TLS, 1997
Times Literary Supplement Tls, 1997
Choice Reviews Online, 1994
PR THE LIFE AND TIMES OF A BRAZlLlAN FREE MAN OF COLOUR Eduardo Silva Translated by Moyra Ashford... more PR THE LIFE AND TIMES OF A BRAZlLlAN FREE MAN OF COLOUR Eduardo Silva Translated by Moyra Ashford && rJPiV-r ... PRINCE OF THE PEOPLE The Life and Times of a Brazilian Free Man of Colour EDUARDO SUVA Prince of the People is an eloquent evocation of ...
The American Historical Review, 1995
PR THE LIFE AND TIMES OF A BRAZlLlAN FREE MAN OF COLOUR Eduardo Silva Translated by Moyra Ashford... more PR THE LIFE AND TIMES OF A BRAZlLlAN FREE MAN OF COLOUR Eduardo Silva Translated by Moyra Ashford && rJPiV-r ... PRINCE OF THE PEOPLE The Life and Times of a Brazilian Free Man of Colour EDUARDO SUVA Prince of the People is an eloquent evocation of ...
A small minority of scholars have ventured that Manet's impetus for breaking from tradition stemm... more A small minority of scholars have ventured that Manet's impetus for breaking from tradition stemmed from memories of his 1849 voyage to Brazil. This view is eschewed by the majority and the museum establishment, who hold to a French and classical origin. Through a close examination of early written sources, the paintings themselves and links to 19 th century Rio, the author proposes that Manet worked distinct Rio memories into two pivotal paintings: The Picnic, which he set in the forests of Guanabara Bay; Olympia (1863) was inspired not by a Parisian brothel, but by slave-owning, midnineteenth century Rio de Janeiro. This article recounts how the research unfolded.
This study discusses Edouard Manet's 1849 voyage to Brazil, presents evidence to connect this exp... more This study discusses Edouard Manet's 1849 voyage to Brazil, presents evidence to connect this experience to his body of work and suggests new keys to old mysteries. A few contemporaries noted Brazil's impact on Manet's artistic vision but did not analyse it within specific paintings. Writer Emile Zola defined the 1849 journey as Manet's 'coup de tête'; a friend held that tropical light was responsible for recalibrating Manet's tonal perception. Manet's stay in Rio was longer than is often implied-a full nine weeks anchored in Rio's Guanabara Bay, with twice-weekly forays into Rio city and nearby countryside. A shock of recognition hit while scrutinising Le Déjeuner sur L'Herbe (1863): Brazilian signifiers in the grey mountain, the toad and 'the cherries of June, figs of September' that have long puzzled scholars, plus additional Brazilian elements not previously identified. Looking at Olympia, the maid's costume and demeanour is far more appropriate to a Brazilian slave than to an odalisque. By relating historical accounts of mid-century Rio de Janeiro and its French immigrants to Manet's observations in the letters he wrote home, it was possible to identify the places he visited and the French family he stayed with. This perspective led to the conclusion that Olympia (1863) was conjured from a remembered scene in Rio. In summary, convinced of Brazil's small but vital role in Manet's psyche and work, I consider the process by which sources become official and suggest further avenues of research. 2 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ARS, Dec 31, 2020
A small minority of scholars have ventured that Manet's impetus for breaking from tradition stemm... more A small minority of scholars have ventured that Manet's impetus for breaking from tradition stemmed from memories of his 1849 voyage to Brazil. This view is eschewed by the majority and the museum establishment, who hold to a French and classical origin. Through a close examination of early written sources, the paintings themselves and links to 19 th century Rio, the author proposes that Manet worked distinct Rio memories into two pivotal paintings: The Picnic, which he set in the forests of Guanabara Bay; Olympia (1863) was inspired not by a Parisian brothel, but by slave-owning, midnineteenth century Rio de Janeiro. This article recounts how the research unfolded.
Hahr-hispanic American Historical Review, Aug 1, 1996
Times literary supplement, TLS, 1997
ARS, 2020
A arte moderna teve inicio com Le Dejeuner sur L’Herbe (1863), de Edouard Manet. Alguns poucos e... more A arte moderna teve inicio com Le Dejeuner sur L’Herbe (1863), de Edouard Manet. Alguns poucos estudiosos sugeriram que seu impeto em se desvencilhar da tradicao derivava de reminiscencias de sua viagem ao Brasil, em 1849. Essa interpretacao e rechacada pela maioria e pelo establishment dos museus, apegados a uma origem classica e francesa. Examinando detidamente fontes escritas primarias, as proprias pinturas e aspectos do Rio oitocentista, a autora defende que Manet elaborou diversas memorias da cidade em duas pinturas fundamentais: Le Dejeuner, que teria sido ambientada nas matas da Baia de Guanabara, e Olympia (1863), inspirada nao em um bordel parisiense, mas no Rio de Janeiro escravocrata da metade daquele seculo. Este artigo relata como tal pesquisa foi desenvolvida.
Times literary supplement, TLS, 1997
Times Literary Supplement Tls, 1997
Choice Reviews Online, 1994
PR THE LIFE AND TIMES OF A BRAZlLlAN FREE MAN OF COLOUR Eduardo Silva Translated by Moyra Ashford... more PR THE LIFE AND TIMES OF A BRAZlLlAN FREE MAN OF COLOUR Eduardo Silva Translated by Moyra Ashford && rJPiV-r ... PRINCE OF THE PEOPLE The Life and Times of a Brazilian Free Man of Colour EDUARDO SUVA Prince of the People is an eloquent evocation of ...
The American Historical Review, 1995
PR THE LIFE AND TIMES OF A BRAZlLlAN FREE MAN OF COLOUR Eduardo Silva Translated by Moyra Ashford... more PR THE LIFE AND TIMES OF A BRAZlLlAN FREE MAN OF COLOUR Eduardo Silva Translated by Moyra Ashford && rJPiV-r ... PRINCE OF THE PEOPLE The Life and Times of a Brazilian Free Man of Colour EDUARDO SUVA Prince of the People is an eloquent evocation of ...