COUTURE,Thomas
1815-1879

Manet spent six years in Couture's studio, rejecting his more contrived, 'academic' methods but benefitting from his liberal approach to sketching from nature and the use of relatively free brushwork. Couture painted in a straightforward manner with a dry handling of paint, reflected in Manet's earliest works. He wrote two interesting books n painting, one devoted to techniques and practice, the other to landscape. Although he was, and often still is, taken as the prototype of the unimaginative academic painter, he laid strong emphasis on spontaneity and would not examine a student's painting if it had benn retouched.