Portrait of Stéphane Mallarmé

Painted in 1876 and now at the Musée d'Orsay, Portrait of Stéphane Mallarmé is among the most intimate and psychologically acute of Manet's portraits, depicting the Symbolist poet who became one of his closest friends in the 1870s. Mallarmé is shown leaning back in a relaxed pose, one hand held casually, his face conveying the luminous intelligence that made him the centre of a generation of artists and writers. The friendship between Manet and Mallarmé was one of the most fruitful in French cultural history; Mallarmé translated Poe and wrote about Manet; Manet illustrated Mallarmé's translation of The Raven. This portrait captures their relationship's easy intimacy.

The composition is direct and informal — Mallarmé in a relaxed three-quarter pose, the setting minimal. His face is built with warm, concentrated colour passages that convey both physical presence and intellectual animation. Manet's handling is at its most economical and precise here, the portrait seemingly effortless yet conveying complete psychological authority. The warmth of the colour key suggests the warmth of the friendship.