Explain whether you think Manet’s Olympia was meant to shock the viewers of his time and why. Explain whether the painting would have a similar impact on viewers today.

Explain whether you think Manet’s Olympia was meant to shock the viewers of his time
and why. Explain whether the painting would have a similar impact on viewers today.
Manet’s Olympia was shocking for the viewers of his time due to its depiction of a nude woman
as the central character. The nude woman’s rebellious look shocked the viewers of the concerned
period. Myriads of critics of the period considered it as a painting lacking any morale and
exploiting the female virtue. Portrayal of a nude woman as a subject of art was not considered to
be appropriate in the period where Manet belonged and hence, his Olympia proved to be a shock.
In the 21st century the painting of Manet would not have been capable of rendering shock to the
viewers. In the 21st century nudity is considered as a way of art and the theme can be found in
myriads of paintings, movies, etc of this period and as the viewers of the 21st century are well
acquainted with the theme of nudity, Manet’s Olympia would have been considered as a
masterpiece rather than a disrespect of art.
(161 words)
Consider that while Chinese and Indian immigrants were arriving in the U.S., the British
were arriving in China and India. Compare the concept of a 19th century global economy
between Asia and the West to the 21st century global economy involving Asia and the West
today.
The 19th century world economy was dominated by the colonial powers and their monopoly on
trading items. The Western countries were benefited from the utilization of some of the Asian
countries as raw material producing countries...