"History, Sex and Syphilis: Famous Syphilitics and their Private Lives," by Tomasz F. Mroczkowski, MD, is a fascinating and iconoclastic read. Written by a well-qualified physician and specialist, the author incorporates his extensive knowledge of the history of the disease with the private lives of the great writers, musicians, and artists who shaped Western Civilization, and who suffered from a disease that still too little is known about. History, Sex And Syphilis: Famous Syphilitics and Their Private Lives Order the complete book from Booklocker.com http://www.booklocker.com/p/books/8368.html?s=pdf or from your favorite neighborhood or online bookstore. Enjoy your free excerpt below! History, Sex and Syphilis Famous Syphilitics and their private lives Tomasz F. Mroczkowski Copyright © 2015 Tomasz F. Mroczkowski Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-63490-828-3 Paperback ISBN: 978-1-63490-829-0 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author. Published by BookLocker.com, Inc., Bradenton, Florida, U.S.A. Printed on acid-free paper. BookLocker.com, Inc. 2015 First Edition CHAPTER 5c PAINTERS EDOUARD MANET (1832-1883) Edouard Manet, the mid-nineteenth century French painter, is well known to the public for his many splendid works, among which, attaining first place is the painting titled Le dejeuner sur l'herbe or Luncheon on the grass, painted in 1863 (Fig.5c.1). This painting is currently on display in the d'Orsey Museum in Paris, where it is one of the main attractions, and in front of which a large crowd of visitors always gathers. Luncheon on the Grass was presented to the annual painting exhibition (Parisian Salon) in 1864, but was rejected by the qualifications committee. Next exhibited at the so-called Salon of Independents, it was met with a great deal of interest by visitors, and, equally, with sharp criticism. One of the critics was Emperor Napoleon III, who is said to have remarked that this painting was an insult to morality, while the Empress ostentatiously pretended not to see it. (1) At a time when women wore dresses down to the ground, while the sight of a woman's foot adorned to the ankles produced excitement in men, showing a nude woman at a picnic with fully dressed men could be provocative, which was doubtless the painter’s intent. In the d'Orsey Museum, one can see many of Manet's canvases, besides Luncheon on the grass, many other of his paintings hang there: Olympia, The Balcony, and The Piper, to name the best known (Fig.5c.2). There is also among them a smaller canvas representing an older couple, titled Portrait of Mr. and Mrs. Auguste Manet (Fig.5c.3). In the center of the picture appears an older gentleman seated at table resting his right hand on a cane. At his side, and a bit 301 History, Sex and Syphilis behind him, is a woman holding a basket. This painting, in front of which fewer people usually stop than in front of other canvases of Manet, attracted my attention due to the face of the man, who appeared familiar to me. I couldn't understand from where I could have known this man, as the picture was painted in 1860! Nevertheless, it seemed certain to me that I had seen that face somewhere, yet simply didn't remember where. The riddle, to which I did not give very much time, was solved not very long ago, while, preparing this manuscript for a book about the history of syphilis, I began to study the biographies of famous painters who suffered from lues. Only then did I learn that the older gentleman in the painting – the father of Manet – also was ill with syphilis, while at the time of his posing for the painting, he already was in the terminal stage of the disease; more specifically, he was in the advanced stage of general paresis, with certain elements of tabes dorsalis. I remembered then that it was not the person who appeared so familiar to me, but the expression on his face, most particularly his eyes. His eyes, though open, seem to see nothing and this creates the impression that this man, while physically present, lives in another world; that his thoughts are wandering somewhere very far away from the place where he actually exists. I have seen such people; they were my patients. Yielding to cure by penicillin, and cured de facto of syphilis, they were hospitalized due to the necessity of psychiatric care and neurologic rehabilitation to which they were subjected as the result of symptoms of general paresis and tabes dorsalis. Some were fit enough to return to an almost normal life, but many of them vegetated in a variety of protective institutions to the ends of their lives. Edouard’s father, Auguste Manet, remained at home while ill, being taken care of by his wife and closest family. The once-honored citizen, judge, and recipient of the Legion of 302 Famous Syphilitics and their private lives Figure 5c.1 The Luncheon on the Grass by E. Manet (1863). Musée d'Orsay Figure 5c.2 Olympia by E. Manet (1863). Musée d'Orsay 303 History, Sex and Syphilis Figure 5c.3 Portrait of M. and Mme. Auguste Manet by E. Manet 1860. Musée d'Orsay Honor was an invalid from about 1857 on, partly paralyzed, deprived of the ability to speak, and moving with difficulty with the help of a cane. (2) Of course, the fact of his illness was a closely held secret, while officially it was said that his crippling disability was the result of a stroke. Edouard Manet was the firstborn son of judge Auguste Manet, and, what was a natural thing in such families, it was expected that he would not fail to reach higher honors in the French justice administration (Fig.5c 4). In school, Edouard did not stand out in anything in particular. He learned rather slowly, repeating the fifth year. More than the customary subjects, adjunctive lessons in drawing offered by the school interested him a great deal. It was in these drawing courses that he met a colleague, who remained his friend for life. This colleague was Antonin Proust, the later minister of Fine Arts, and author of memoirs about Manet, to whom we are indebted for many details about the painter's life. It is felt that 304 Famous Syphilitics and their private lives the person who contributed to Manet’s deepening interest in painting during his early years was his Uncle Edmond (his Mother's brother), who himself drew beautifully, and often took Edouard and his friend to the Louvre or to other Parisian museums, where he would show the young boys the works of outstanding painters. It must be added that it was Uncle Edmond who financed the drawing courses offered by the school – which Manet's father opposed, and for which he did not want to pay. Pressured by his father to become an attorney, Edouard declined emphatically, and threatened that in the event of further insistence, he would move out of the house. He determined to enter the Naval Academy, to which his father, though unwillingly, agreed. In 1848, Edouard embarked on a schooling voyage to Rio de Janeiro, but after his return, did not pass the entrance examinations, possibly deliberately, as a naval career also did not suit him. In the course of the race trip, more than in the study of sailing, he was interested in the landscapes provided by the localities at which the vessel made port. He wondered from afar at the peaks of the mountains of Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands, and at the beaches of Porto Santo, a tiny island belonging to the archipelago of Madeira, where Columbus ones lived. The sailing ship did not reach Madeira itself, due to bad weather, and Manet had to admire this charming island from a great distance. During the stop in Rio, Manet was amazed at the manner in which the blacks were treated. In a letter to his mother, he wrote: “The Negroes have only a pair of trousers for clothing, sometimes a linen jacket, but as slaves they are not allowed to wear shoes. The Negressess are naked to the waist, some wear a scarf that falls over the chest. They take great pains in their appearance. (3) The future portraitist immediately perceived the beauty of those women, writing about the”magnificent black eyes of Brazilian women,” although he must have met some faults on their part, as he also wrote, "Brazilian women are generally attractive but do 305 History, Sex and Syphilis not deserve the reputation for flirtatiousness attributed to them in France; no one is more prudish or stupid than a Brazilian women.” (4) Regardless of any doubts one may have based on the previous sentence, one can clearly see that women and the natural attractions of the countries he visited interested Manet more than the mysteries of the art of sailing. During the entire period of travel, Manet did not stop sketching, and many things that he saw along the way he committed onto paper. After returning to France, it was already clear that nothing besides painting interested him and Father August agreed to finance appropriate studies for his son. Edouard signed up at the painting school conducted by Thomas Couture, where he spent the next six years. Figure 5c.4 Portrait of Edouard Manet (1874) by Felix Nadar Even before beginning studies at Couture's school, there appeared at the house of the Manets a young Dutch woman, who had not been in France long.