In order to understand the experiences that influenced Manet’s brushwork in his seascapes, we should consider his relation to the sea. His first attraction to the sea dates back before he even considered art as a career. Based on Manet’s background, Wilson-Bareau and Degener assert “that he knew the sea better than most Frenchmen of his time” because Manet’s initial impressions of the sea were crafted by his own naval experience (Wilson-Bareau and Degener 55). In 1848, the 16-year-old announced his intention to become a sailor. After failing his first sailing examination, he spent nearly six months aboard the merchant vessel Le Havre et Guadeloupe in transit to Rio de Janeiro to develop his knowledge of the sea. Though he also failed the second examination, Manet did gain a better sense of boats on the water—at least from an artist’s perspective. In a letter to fellow painter Charles Toche, he mentions learning how to paint by standing for hours on the ship’s upper deck, “gazing at the skyline” and “the play of light and shadow in the ship’s wake” (qtd. “The Color of Water”). These initial impressions of the boat’s wake generated by its movement through water intrigued Manet enough for him to pursue further study of the sea. Upon his return, Manet hung up his sailor’s cap and decided to become a professional painter.
Manet, Edouard. The Steamboat, Seascape With Porpoises . 1868. Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia.