Who painted Olympia?

Who painted Olympia?

• A. Van Gogh
• B. Manet
• C. Jan Van Eyck
• D. Cezanne

Answer: (B)

Olympia is a pivotal work by Édouard Manet, and the idea being tested is recognizing this landmark in art history. Manet’s 1863 painting presents a nude in a contemporary Parisian setting rather than a mythological or allegorical figure, which was a bold clash with academic norms. The direct, unflinching gaze of Olympia and the inclusion of a black maid in the background signal modernity and social reality, challenging viewers to confront sexuality, class, and representation in a new way. This approach, inspired by Titian’s Venus of Urbino but stripped of idealization and placed in the present, helped inaugurate a shift toward modern painting and influenced how subjects could be depicted in art. The other artists listed belong to different periods and styles, so their work isn’t Olympia. Van Gogh is associated with Post-Impressionism and highly visible brushwork, Jan van Eyck with early Netherlandish Renaissance detail, and Cézanne with later Post-Impressionist explorations of form and color. Thus, the painter who created Olympia is Manet.

Olympia is a pivotal work by Édouard Manet, and the idea being tested is recognizing this landmark in art history. Manet’s 1863 painting presents a nude in a contemporary Parisian setting rather than a mythological or allegorical figure, which was a bold clash with academic norms. The direct, unflinching gaze of Olympia and the inclusion of a black maid in the background signal modernity and social reality, challenging viewers to confront sexuality, class, and representation in a new way. This approach, inspired by Titian’s Venus of Urbino but stripped of idealization and placed in the present, helped inaugurate a shift toward modern painting and influenced how subjects could be depicted in art.

The other artists listed belong to different periods and styles, so their work isn’t Olympia. Van Gogh is associated with Post-Impressionism and highly visible brushwork, Jan van Eyck with early Netherlandish Renaissance detail, and Cézanne with later Post-Impressionist explorations of form and color. Thus, the painter who created Olympia is Manet.