Edouard Manet painted the 1867 execution of Emperor Maximilian of Mexico four times. This enigmatic short film imagines the French painter’s interior monologue as he works the scene’s details, offering a speculative window into his creative process. Comprising a single, uninterrupted shot, the film tracks the artist’s influences—from Goya to Ukiyo-e prints—and shows how he recreated the scene with models in the studio. Today, Manet’s canvases can be found at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the National Gallery, London, the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen; and the Städtische Kunsthalle, Mannheim. Directed by Ken McMullen.
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