Portrait of Charles Baudelaire, in profile

Description

Baudelaire’s head appears in light profile beneath a tall top hat, with fine lines defining the face against pale paper. Manet gives the named poet a restrained graphic presence, making the outline and headwear carry much of the likeness. The print’s open surrounding space allows a few established marks to remain distinct without a heavily described setting.

Dated 1862, the etching is on laid paper. Manet makes the sitter’s presence available through a graphic surface, allowing the portrait to remain direct without an invented account of Baudelaire’s thoughts or mood. The work’s interest lies in that meeting of named person and carefully chosen view. A profile can establish a distinctive likeness through relatively limited information, giving the face’s contour a substantial role in how the person is encountered on the sheet.

Read our guide to giclée prints, browse more Édouard Manet prints, or explore Portrait of Charles Baudelaire, Full Face, after a photograph by Nadar.