Boy with Cherries

…by the famous artist Edouard Manet

painting by the famous artist Edouard Manet

In one of his earlier paintings from around 1859-1560, Edouard Manet (1832-1883) depicts a young boy happily eating a bunch of cherries. He combines the two art forms of portraiture and still life to create a compelling painting that has you wondering is the boy or the trio of cherries falling off the table more interesting to look at. The boy in the painting is Alexandre who often helped the artist clean his brushes and posed for Manet. Sadly, at 15, Alexandre committed suicide in Manet’s studio on the rue Lavoisier.