Edouard Manet

Black in Art by Jeannine Cook

I remember being firmly told, when I was being taught how to paint in watercolours at school, that black was not something to use straight out of a tube. You achieved a huge spectrum of blacks by mixing other colours, such as reds and greens. Along the way, when learning of oil painters, there seemed to be some who historically used black in generous amounts, while others avoided its use in their work.

Viejos comiendo sopa, Francisco Goya, (Image courtesy of the Prado Museum)

Viejos comiendo sopa, Francisco Goya, (Image courtesy of the Prado Museum)

One of the most famous artists to be associated with black is perhaps Francisco Goya. His "Black Paintings" are somber indeed in their generous use of black, but, in this case, the subject matter is also associated with very dark themes. Goya painted this series of 14 paintings on the walls of his house, the Quinta del Sordo, outside Madrid when he lived there from 1819-1823. He was deaf by this time, he was afraid of going mad, and he had a very bleak view of humanity, having lived through the savage Napoleonic Wars and having watched the disasters of Spanish government. He painted these works without title, and by painting them directly on the walls, he clearly did not intend others to see them. This image, transferred to canvas from the wall of the house, was later titled Two Old Men eating Soup.

Edouard Manet comes to mind immediately when I think of later 19th century artists who began to use black very effectively. He turned away from subtle modelling and simplified, even flattened, the images he portrayed. Not only did he outline in black, but in such paintings as the "scandalous" Olympia - a painting which seemed to shock everyone when it was first exhibited in 1863, his use of black was extensive.  Like other contemporaries in France, Manet also was influenced by Japanese woodcuts, where the use of black was widespread and powerful.

Olympia, Edouard Manet, 1863, (Image below courtesy of the Musee d'Orsay)

Olympia, Edouard Manet, 1863, (Image below courtesy of the Musee d'Orsay)

He continued his use of black even after he became close to many of the Impressionist painters.

The Execution of Emperor Maximilian, 1867.. (Image  courtesy of the Fine Arts Museum, Boston)

The Execution of Emperor Maximilian, 1867

Pierre Soulages, black painting

Pierre Soulages, black painting