Manet’s Olympia depicts an anonymous prostitute staring defiantly at the viewer in a contemptuous pose, reminiscent of the pornographic images of the time.In Olympia, Manet proposed a new interpretation of the female nude, a genre belonging to the tradition of Western painting. The artist used a direct representation, uncompromisingly in line with the bourgeois morals of the time. The prostitute is thus represented prosaically without veils, even physically, and with a crude language. Instead of the idealised nude, Manet presents a cold, realistic image of a young courtesan. Her figure is not revisited through mythological, allegorical or symbolic filters, but is merely a naked prostitute. On the contrary, the pose assigned to Venus by classical tradition is used here to represent prostitution.
Olympia was in fact a very common nickname reserved for courtesans in the nineteenth century. The black cat was an erotic symbol linked to female sexuality. Moreover, the servant who hands a bouquet of flowers shows the offer of a client.
Some details also clarify the context of the painting. The sheets are creased and indicate that the girl spends a lot of time lying down. The red orchid in her hair is a sign of sensuality. The jewellery, worn without much refinement, also indicates the young woman’s public life.
