The triumphal Paris Exposition universelle of 1867 was spoilt by a terrible international event. On 1 July, the day on which the imperial couple were to hand out the prizes, there came the dreadful news that Maximilien I, the puppet emperor placed on the Mexican throne by Napoleon III, had been executed by a firing squad. Along with many of his conteporaries, Manet was deeply shocked by the event. And so with his first attempt in the history genre he chose a subject avoided by other painters for fear of the censor. And he took as his inspiration, Goya's painting Tres de Mayo, a pictorial condemnation of another Napoleonic sally into hispanophone lands. Manet's composition shows the dramatic climax of the event: the actual moment when the firing squad pulled the trigger on Maximilien and the two generals Mejia and Miramon. The artist was very proud of his painting but was unable to exhibit it during the Second Empire. It was forbidden by the censor. K.H. tr. P.H.
The execution of Maximilian
Artist(s) : MANET Edouard
- Date :
- 1867
- Technique :
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions :
- H = 2.52 m, L = 3.05 m
- Place held :
- Mannheim, Stadtisch Kunsthalle
- Photo credit :
- artchive