Edouard Manet’s Nana and the Image of ‘A Woman Making-up Her Face’

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  • エドゥアール・マネの《ナナ》と“化粧をする女”のイメージ
  • エドゥアール マネ ノ ナナ ト ケショウ オ スル オンナ ノ イメージ

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Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the image of “a woman making-up her face” as a representation of prostitutes in Edouard Manet’s Nana (exhibited in 1877). As J-K.Huysmans pointed out, the woman showing off her make-up in her underclothing was no other than a courtesan, portraying a typical image of a prostitute at that time. What distinguishes Nana from any other traditional toilette -theme paintings is her ‘make-up’. The image of “a woman making-up her face” in Nana is similar to the images of prostitutes and actresses or dancers in their dressing room of theaters in those days, but none of them had all the elements depicted in Nana - in a private room with a man, making-up her face (maquillage),casting her gaze over the viewers. For the gender norm in this period, ‘make-up’ was not only regarded as the code for a prostitute, but also as something evoking sexual desire. With her fixed gaze, this courtesan’s ‘make-up ’powerfully draws viewers into her realm - a realm of syphilis and death. Furthermore, this “make-up” also could be interpreted as Manet’s attempt to embody Baudelairean Modernité.

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