The Boy with a Sword, Turned to the Left III

"The Boy with a Sword, Turned to the Left III" by Édouard Manet (French, 1832-1883) is a pivotal 1862 print that demonstrates the artist's early experimentation with graphic media. This impression, designated the third state, employs a sophisticated combination of etching, aquatint, and drypoint, augmented by the textural effects achieved through roulette. Rendered in rich black ink on ivory laid paper, the composition captures a young figure holding a military weapon, emphasizing a striking contrast between shadow and light achieved through the varied depth and texture of the copperplate techniques.

This work belongs to a significant series of studies Manet undertook in preparation for, or parallel to, his celebrated oil painting of the same subject, allowing the artist to explore variations in pose and atmospheric effects. Unlike the smooth, polished finishes favored by many academic French painters of the era, Manet utilized the immediacy of drypoint and the tonal depth of aquatint to create energetic, almost spontaneous compositions, characteristic of his modernizing vision in 19th-century France.

The graphic nature of this particular study foreshadows Manet’s enduring commitment to the medium of prints throughout his career. While primarily known for his challenging canvases, Manet produced influential prints that often revisited key compositional themes, establishing him as a crucial figure in the evolution of graphic arts. This specific example of The Boy with a Sword is housed in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, serving as a key reference for understanding Manet’s innovative approach to printmaking, and is generally considered to be in the public domain due to its age.