Description
An older bearded man faces the viewer beneath a cap in Édouard Manet’s The Smoker. One hand rises with his pipe at the right, while smoke extends above it. The compact bust brings the familiar activity close, allowing face, hand and drifting smoke to give an ordinary personal moment a distinct and engaging presence.
Created in 1866–67, The Smoker is an etching whose worked lines give the figure a concentrated graphic form. The image’s interest lies in the relationship between a person and an action familiar enough to need little explanation. Its printed medium can make that presence engaging through contrast and contour rather than the fuller color of a painting. An unremarkable occupation becomes a reason to look more closely, granting the sitter an immediate place within the scene.
Read our guide to giclée prints, browse more Édouard Manet prints, or explore The Smoker (Le Fumeur).
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