The Escape of Rochefort by Manet in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, December 2023

Title: The Escape of Rochefort

Artist: Edouard Manet (French, Paris 1832–1883 Paris)

Date: ca. 1881

Culture: French

Medium: Oil on canvas

Dimensions: 31 1/8 × 28 3/8 in. (79 × 72 cm)
Framed: 39 3/16 × 36 7/16 in. (99.5 × 92.5 cm)

Classification: Paintings

Credit Line: Musée d'Orsay, Paris (RF 1984 158)

The sensational escape of journalist Henri Rochefort from a penal colony in New Caledonia inspired Manet to produce a modern history painting for the Salon of 1881. An opponent of Napoleon III’s regime, Rochefort had been arrested in 1874 for his role in the political confrontations of the Paris Commune. Although Manet was absent during the unrest, he nevertheless produced several graphic works denouncing the violent repression of the Communards and rejoiced when the French National Assembly voted for their amnesty on July 14, 1880. Manet centered on the journalist’s tiny dinghy navigating the choppy waters as it heads toward a rescue boat looming on the horizon.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/851726