Discuss the Aims and the Work of Manet - make particular reference to his influences and contemporary life, which would have affected his work. Make reference to specific works

At the time Manet began working, the generally accepted art was the official art of the Salon. His work can generally be described as part of the impressionist movement, which emerged from the works of Realist painters like Courbet and Millet. Paris itself was going through several great changes at the time - the arrival of Japanese prints and woodcuts introduced a new use of perspective and space, and impressed artists with its beauty and …

…such a flattering way reflects the aims of the Realists. Manet fused elements from Daumier, Spanish and Venetian masters, contemporary photographs and engravings, Japanese prints and woodcuts in his paintings, reflecting the synthesis of opposites at the root of his character - he was both a pious Catholic and a sceptical humanist, wanted to be accepted by the salon yet shock its visitors, and although from an upper-middle class family, he was a convinced socialist.