Cavalier (Portrait équestre de M. Arnaud)

This equestrian portrait of M. Arnaud, held in Milan's Galleria d'Arte Moderna, represents Manet's engagement with one of the oldest genres of European portraiture — the mounted subject — reimagined through Impressionist eyes. Manet painted two related versions of this equestrian subject in 1875, likely as variants or studies. The equestrian portrait carried associations with aristocratic power — Velázquez, Van Dyck, and Rubens had defined the genre — and Manet's handling of it reflects his characteristic mix of homage to the Old Masters and modernizing disruption. The informal, slightly casual treatment of horse and rider distinguishes this from any academic equestrian portrait.

Manet uses a loose, confident brushwork style typical of his mid-1870s work. The horse is rendered with fluid, broad strokes that suggest movement and surface without detailed finish. Background is loosely indicated. The figure of Arnaud is painted with the directness and economy Manet had developed through years of engagement with Velázquez and Hals.