Whether or not you are aware of the French painting by Édouard Manet, Margaret

Atwood’s poem ​Manet’s Olympia ​still gets its message across. Like the name implies, ​Manet’s
Olympia ​is an ​ekphrastic poem that goes from describing the painting ​Olympia​ to criticizing the
artist and viewers connotations of the female body.
In an ekphrastic manner, this poem utilizes an aspect of transformation in her writing.
The poem is written about a controversial portrait circa 1865 and has reverted expectations
following it’s material- ultimately changing the meaning and significance behind it. Manet’s
painting depicts the female subject in a sexualized and promiscuous manner, which is shamed by
the maid and sexualized by the viewer. Atwood makes the judgments of the maid clear in a
parenthetical remarks distinguishing the difference between the two’s attire and elaborating on
her expression,
“Above the head of the (clothed) maid
is an invisible voice balloon: ​Slut.”
However, after these literal depictions of what is going on in the painting, Atwood offers a
perspective on the female body and the power that the naked woman really holds, transforming
the meaning and significance of the painting. When describing her in this new light she says,
“Consider the body,
unfragile, defiant, the pale nipples
staring you right in the bull’s-eye.”
By reverting expectations of the female body in an empowering way, Atwood changes the
woman from a shamed, sexualized slut, into a powerful, confident being. Ultimately, Atwood is
able to transform a piece of art to promote an entirely new idea.
The global issue that is brought up in ​Monet’s Olympia, ​is one of art. Specifically, the
poem is reflecting on the significance of an artist's perspective and its influence as well as flaws.
The poem criticizes the prevalence of male perspective in art work and forces that view on the
viewer. In the painting ​Olympia, ​Atwood shows us a new perspective on the painting that is
rarely seen or heard. She is able to comment on how the male perspective on art can be a flawed
one and often have sexisit undertones. Art and history are similar in the sense that there should
be multiple perspectives rather than just one. Which is why this global issue is so important to
have- to have free thought and diversity among beliefs.