“The Boy with Cherries” is a work by Edouard Manet completed in 1859 in Paris, France. This oil on canvas painting is a prime example of the Realism art movement, focusing on genre painting. The artwork is currently housed in the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon, Portugal.
The painting features a young boy posed casually with his arms resting on a ledge, looking directly at the viewer. The boy’s expression is one of impish innocence, accompanied by a slight, knowing smile. His attire is simple, likely indicative of the everyday clothing of the period for a child of his social standing. He wears a red Phrygian cap, a style often associated with liberty and revolutionary France, which adds a pop of bright color to the composition. The title of the painting is derived from the cherries the boy holds in his hand and lap, wrapped partially in a piece of blue fabric, suggesting he might be a street vendor or simply enjoying the fruit. The cherries’ vibrant red hue stands out against the otherwise muted colors. Manet’s brushwork is evident in the textured rendering of the boy’s clothes and the soft play of light and shadow on his face and hands.
