Customer Reviews

Manet and the Family Romance

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This is a very well written book. It introduces a creative angle to the work of one of the most studied figures of the XIX French Art. Locke makes display of her profound knowledge of the Artist's work, of the time period and of the overall circumstances that surrounded one of the most important painters of modern art. Her insight and fine prose makes the book an easy read. I have read many works about Manet and, after a while, it becomes repetitive to read again and again recycled information. I found nothing of the sort with this book. On the contrary. Locke's insight is interesting, challenging, fun and sufficiently based in historical evidence to make of her argument a worthy read. This book is one of those valuable volumes that present art history at its best.

Speculative indeed. The crux of the book is the assumption that Manet's father fathered Leon and young Manet married Suzanne to protect the family name. But if so, why wait until the father died to marry her? And does it make sense psychologically that Manet would marry and love (as his letters to her indicate) the mother of his father's child? Locke gives no initiative to Suzanne, who is presented as passive, whereas it is most likely that it was Suzanne who insisted on passing off Leon as her brother to protect _her_ reputation. Moreover, Locke doesn't even look at the pictures carefully. She says the dog in "Fishing" (which is on the jacket) is looking at the boy whereas clearly the dog is looking at Suzanne. She also says the sword in "Luncheon in the Studio" is the same as the one in "Boy with Sword" but it's clearly not. There are a few reproductions that one doesn't usually see, but all of the reproductions are in black and white. The book is laxly argued and depends on outmoded Freud and the fancies of Lacan and Foucault.