Spanish Dancers

Painted c.1879 and now at the Murauchi Art Museum in Japan, Spanish Dancers belongs to the series of Spanish-themed works that Manet produced following his 1865 visit to Madrid. The Spanish performances he witnessed at the Paris Hippodrome in 1862 had been the original stimulus, but the Madrid trip deepened his engagement with Spanish culture and Velázquez's art. By 1879 the Spanish theme had become more nostalgic than immediate — a revisiting of an earlier fascination rather than fresh observation. Working on cardboard rather than canvas suggests this was a sketch or study rather than a finished exhibition work.

Working on cardboard allowed Manet an unusually immediate application of paint — the slightly absorbent surface pulling the oil slightly, creating a matte, spontaneous quality. The figures are rendered with the broad, gestural brushwork of his mature manner, the dark costumes and bright highlights creating the tonal drama associated with his Spanish subjects. The limited palette is warm and theatrical.