"The execution by firing squad in 1867 of Maximilian, the puppet emperor installed in Mexico by Napoleon III, was to have far-reaching implications, shattering the international prestige of France and hastening the collapse of the Second Empire." "Edouard Manet was an opponent of Napoleon's authoritarian government, and was regarded in Paris as a dangerously non-conformist artist. Between 1867 and 1869 he made three separate attempts to create a monumental painting of the execution. He attracted political censorship, but equally he aroused hostility by his subversive style, which deliberately rejected the conventions of history painting." "This comprehensive study was inspired by an exhibition at the National Gallery in London, which united the three paintings for the first time since Manet's death in 1883. Manet's paintings are illustrated alongside contemporary prints and photographs, as well as major works that reveal how Manet tackled a range of current issues." "Juliet Wilson-Bareau, who has uncovered a wealth of new material on this subject, discusses possible sources for the paintings and the development of Manet's imagery. The Maximilian paintings are often seen as an isolated outburst of political sentiment in his career, but Juliet Wilson-Bareau argues that many of his most familiar works of the 1860s may contain references to contemporary events." "Douglas Johnson's historical account of the French intervention in Mexico, and John House's discussion of Salon painting in the 1860s, place Manet's choice of subject and of style in a broad context of political and artistic opposition to Napoleon III. John House describes a general decline in history painting in the second half of the nineteenth century and shows how Manet's unassertive and wholly modern scene of martyrdom not only went against academic tradition but, just because of its ambiguities and its inexpressiveness, made a strong political statement and became a potent symbol of failed imperial ambition."--BOOK JACKET.