Zacharie Astruc

Zacharie Astruc (Angers, 1833-Paris, 1907) was a sculptor, painter, poet, and art critic. He was an important figure in the cultural life of France in the second half of the 19th century, and participated in the first Impressionist exhibition of 1874 and also in the Exposition Universelle of 1900. As an art critic, writing primarily between 1859–1872, he was a strong defender of Courbet, and was one of the first to recognize the talent of Manet. He also defended Monet, Whistler, Carolus-Duran, Fantin-Latour, et Alphonse Legros. He appears in the famous painting of Henri Fantin-Latour "Un atelier aux Batignolles" -- where he is seated next to Manet, who is shown painting his portrait. Astruc is generally credited with titling Manet's painting "Olympia," and an excerpt from an Astruc poem was included in the catalogue entry for "Olympia" when it was exhibited at the Salon of 1865. [ Sharon Flescher, "Zacharie Astruc: Critic, Artist and Japoniste (1833-1907)" (Garland Publishing: New York, 1978).]

Astruc was a hispanophile, well versed in the art and literature of Spain. After his own trip to Spain in 1864, he helped prepare the itinerary for Manet's only trip to Spain in 1865. [ S. Flescher, 1978, Chapter II. ] Astruc helped to promote a widespread revival of interest in El Greco's paintings.J. Russel, [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE5DC1739F93BA25754C0A964948260 Seeing The Art Of El Greco As Never Before] ] Astruc was also a leading figure in the Japonism movement in France in the 1860s and '70s, publishing, among other writings, three pivotal articles on Japonism in the Parisian newspaper,"L'Etendard," in 1867-68. S. Flescher, 1978, Chapter lV. ]

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