"Olympia's Look" by Susan Vreeland

The short story Olympia’s Look by Susan Vreeland tells the story of Suzanne Manet, the wife of Édouard Manet in the days after his death. While asking her nephew to copy her husband’s paintings of beautiful models, she remembers each of the women; particularly the courtesan, Victorine Meurent. Though she has known of Édouard’s many affairs, Suzanne continues to be a loving and attentive wife until he dies from Syphilis. On page 83, she says that the nude painting for which Victorine posed “had been the private trial of her last twenty years, had made her hungry in intimacy in all things―from handing him his scissors for his meticulous beard trimming, to nursing him with bedpans and warm milk”(83). But, though she would never admit this to her husband, Suzanne resents every woman Édouard pursues and wishes he showed her the same affection he bestows upon his young, beautiful models. From the way Vreeland has portrayed her, one would guess that Suzanne projects a façade of confidence to the world, but suffers silently and pines for the love and affection that she does not have. She is a woman who loves her husband faithfully, even though he repeatedly betrayed her.
At the beginning of the story, Suzanne greets her nephew, Albert, after the death of her husband Édouard. As she is talking to him, Suzanne notices that Albert reminds her of Édouard, and the revelation startles her. She imagines she is looking at a young Édouard and even manages to smile as she remembers him. This is my favorite passage of the story because it is sweet in a very sad way. Even after all her husband has put her through, Suzanne is still able to think of him as the young man she fell in love with many years ago.
Near the end of the story, Suzanne reads from Giorgio Vasari’s Lives of Painters, Sculptors, and Artists trying to learn whether it was common for artists to take their models as lovers. She reads a passage about Fra Filippo Lippi and his mistress, a former nun. As she reads, Suzanne silently compares Lippi to her late husband and pities the poor nun of Lippi’s affections. This selection reveals how much of Suzanne’s thoughts are consumed with her husband’s indiscretions and how she pities herself for choosing him. I liked this passage because the love affair of Fra Fillipo Lippi paralleled that of Manet and gave a very clear view into the grief and jealousy Suzanne had suffered.
Suzanne’s life and her view of the world have been greatly affected by her experiences. She had to endure her husband’s infidelities and watch as he showed his young models the attention she felt she deserved as his wife. As a Dutch woman, Suzanne reassures herself, she was peaceful and tolerant of her husband’s affairs, but strong enough not to forgive him. However, Édouard’s flirtations made her more affectionate and loving in the hopes that he would show her the same courtesy. The lack of affection Suzanne received from her husband undoubtedly influenced her character, causing her to long for the love she was denied. But, she still maintained her free will. When faced with a similar situation, many women would have left the marriage, but Suzanne stayed with her husband out of love and devotion.
I thought Olympia’s Look was very well written. Susan Vreeland evoked empathy for Suzanne with the emotional language of her memories and thoughts. The only criticism I had when I read the story was that it would be difficult for someone who was not knowledgeable about Manet’s work to fully appreciate the story. His paintings are alluded to so often (in fact the entire story is centered around them), that many people would not be able to understand some important moments in the story. But, I still enjoyed the beautiful writing and the emotion Vreeland brought to her characters.

David Hockney – David Graves Pembroke Studios London Tuesday 27th April 1982 1982, Composite Polaroid 51 3/4 x 26 1/4 in.Collection David Hockney

Hockney, David.  David Hockney.  Bradford, England: Lund Humphries.  1977.

Print.

This autobiography, though written before Hockney began David Graves Pembroke Studios London Tuesday 27^th April 1982, provided excellent first hand information about the artist’s life and major inspirations, particularly during his art school years and his stint in California.  While studying at the Royal College of Art, Hockney discovered the works of Pablo Picasso and felt that his somewhat controversial work was much better than the paintings of other British artists of that time.  He gushes about Picasso’s aility to return to Classicism from his more well-known Cubist paintings, saying that “lesser artists can’t” (123).Pablo Picasso’s influence is felt strongly in Hockney’s more abstract paintings and his composite photos and Hockney even described his art as an example of Cubism.  The book also chronicles his five-year relationship with Peter Schlessinger, the subject of many of Hockney’s paintings and drawings.  In general, David Hockney’s homosexuality greatly influenced his art, especially his earlier works.

Weschler, Lawrence.  True to Life: Twenty-Five Years of Conversations with David Hockney.  University of California Press: Berkeley and Los Angeles, California.  2008.  Print.

This book is a great resource because most of the text is from interviews with David Hockney.  The first chapter, “Camera Works: Staring Down a Paralyzed Cyclops (1983)” provides insight into David Hockney’s photography.  Initially, Hockney used photography to jog his memory while painting.  However, he did not like how wide-angle cameras distorted the picture, so he began to make “joiners” or Polaroid Collages to fix this problem.  He would take multiple photographs of the same subject from different angles and distances, cut them up, and then reassemble the pieces onto a grid.  Over the next three months, Hockney completed over 140 Polaroid Collages.  This book does not mention David Graves Pembroke Studios London Tuesday 27^th April 1982, but it contains information on other works of art in which David Graves is featured, including The Scrabble Game, Jan. 1 1983.  From this section, the reader learns that David Graves was a close friend of Hockney.

Falco, Charles M.  Abstract of a Lecture on this Work: The Science of Optics; The History of Art.  (2008).

                University of Arizona.  Web.  2 February 2009.  http://www.optics.arizona.edu/SSD/colloq.htm.

This website was created by a friend of David Hockney, Charles Falco.  Hockney worked with Falco and David Graves, the subject of David Graves Pembroke Studios London Tuesday 27^th April 1982, on his research of Secret Knowledge.  David Hockney observed that many paintings from the early Renaissance looked photographic.  He claimed that artists from that time must have had optical aids.  I used this website to find a relationship between David Hockney and David Graves.  In real life, Graves was probably an aide or assistant to David Hockney.

Ann Looking at her Picture David Hockney ARA.  Art-eFact.  (2008).  Art-eFact Galleries Limited.  Web.  2 February 2009.  http://www.art-efact.com/Detail/DavidHockneyARAAnnLookingAtHerPicture.htm.

This website does not have much information, but it does provide some important background information on David Graves.  David Graves and his wife, Ann Upton, were good friends of the artist.  The couple and their young son, Byron appear in many of Hockney’s portraits.  However, Byron died in 1982.