Portrait d'Antonin Proust

Portrait d'Antonin Proust (1879), at the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow, depicts Manet's childhood friend and lifelong supporter Antonin Proust—politician, journalist, and later France's first Minister of Fine Arts. This is one of Manet's most personally meaningful portraits, painted in the same year Zola's portrait appeared and reflecting the constellation of loyalties that sustained him through years of critical controversy. Proust would later write a famous memoir of his friendship with Manet, and the portrait is a visual counterpart to that literary testimony: two men of the same generation recording their bond at the height of their respective careers.

The composition is likely relatively formal, reflecting Proust's public standing, though Manet's handling preserves the intimacy appropriate to a longstanding friendship. The face is painted with particular attention—the friend's features rendered with both accuracy and affection. His characteristic bold, fluid brushwork gives the clothing and setting a confident summary quality that focuses all sustained attention on the sitter's face.