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Among the many subjects one artist can choose, many in the past have elected the recline nude as an interesting model to work with. Édouard Manet’s Olympia and Paul Gauguin’s Nevermore are two valuable examples of the mastery of the recline nude. Although very similar in genre, they both express the artists’ statements in different and clever ways. Manet is known for being one of the first instigator of the Avant-Garde period. He was a realist painter who often found his inspiration in the art of the past. Manet painted his Olympia in 1865, it measures 4ft. 3 in. by 6ft. 3in. One of the most striking fact about this painting is that it was criticized for depicting a naked woman rather than a nude, which is emphasized by her bony, unclassical proportions. Olympia is Victorine, a model also present in Le déjeuner sur l’herbe; she was known to be a famous p