Édouard Manet,The"Kearsarge at Boulogne"1864,oil on canvas
During the American Civil War the United States wardship the Kearsage made headlines after sinking the Confederate raider Alabama off the coast of France. Manet did not witness firsthand the widely covered event but devoted two paintings to the subject:a scene of the naval battle and this picture,prompted by his subsequent visit to the victorious ship at anchor near Boulogne.They were his first depictions of a current event.
Édouard Manet,The"Kearsarge at Boulogne"1864,oil on canvas
During the American Civil War the United States wardship the Kearsage made headlines after sinking the Confederate raider Alabama off the coast of France. Manet did not witness firsthand the widely covered event but devoted two paintings to the subject:a scene of the naval battle and this picture,prompted by his subsequent visit to the victorious ship at anchor near Boulogne.They were his first depictions of a current event.