Eva Gonzalès (1849-1883), Manet's only formal pupil, was a successful artist and a regular exhibitor at the Salon. This portrait was probably started in February 1869 and involved numerous sittings. It was finally finished in March 1870 and shown at the Salon the same year.
Manet had painted other artists (both men and women), but this portrait is unusual in that it shows Eva painting at her easel (although the picture on it is already framed). A half-rolled canvas carrying Manet's signature lies on the floor, a reminder of his role as her teacher. Her pose, along with the white dress and the fluidity of the brushstrokes with which it is painted, recalls the work of Goya, whom Manet greatly admired. The connection to Goya, who was Spanish, perhaps also underlines Eva's Hispanic identity. Her flowing white dress fills the composition, its brightness heightened by the dark background so that it becomes a source of illumination in its own right.
Credit: Sir Hugh Lane Bequest, 1917, The National Gallery, London. In partnership with Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin.