The French Society in the Mid and Late 19th Century

Question: Write an essay on the French Society in the Mid and Late 19th Century. Answer: The French society saw a Realism movement until the late 19th century that depicted a truthful and objective vision of the contemporary life. This era was just after the end of the monarchy of Louis-Philippe and came under the rule of Napoleon Bonaparte (iii). In the painting Olympia, Edourd Manet depicted Olympia as a nude women. The painting was first hung in Salon, Paris. The critics were very negative about the painting. It depicted Olympia as a nude woman but very rich. She was understood to be prostitute of the time. Eduard Manet painted the actual reality of Paris as he said the middle class man of Paris use to go to the prostitutes and it was a daily affair. This reality was hidden and it was not so often spoken in a sophisticated society. From the mid to late 19TH Century, the society of France had passed through many revolutions and the people were embracing modernisation. The woman in the society had started working outside their houses (Bishop, 2008). Depiction of slavery in Olympia: The black servant`s presence in the painting emphasizes the fact that the courtesan, unlike the street walker or common man has a control and governance and may even imply that those who capitulate the beauty and charms of Olympia are subordinate to her just like black servant. Attitude towards slavery in the 19th century America: In the 19th century, the public had changed their mind towards slavery but the law did not enforce this. The society was going to achieve equality and the people wanted to live in peace harmony and liberty (Horton and Horton, 2005) References Bishop, M. (2008).Contemporary French art. Amsterdam: Rodopi. Horton, J. and Horton, L. (2005).Slavery and the making of America. Oxford: Oxford University Press.