Portrait de Baudelaire Baudelaire, the famous writer and a great friend of Manet’s, is immortalized in this etching, of which there are five versions and five other proofs, thus 10 sheets in all. Baudelaire was the first who, from his position of prominence, advocated for a resurgence of etching; it was precisely after seeing the etchings of his friend Manet that he had become one of the passionate advocates for the renewal of graphic art. In this portrait, in which Baudelaire is seen in three-quarter view, Manet abandons graphic drawing and renders the face with a skillful dosage of chiaroscuro; the face emerges from the darkness of the background and is enhanced by the light, which falls perpendicularly from the left and reveals all the features of the poet's face. But what is striking in this etching is the expressive power of the eyes, which make this small etched sheet a masterpiece. The cut of the image, with the highlights, is clearly inspired by photography, as this portrait is taken from the famous photograph Nadar had taken of Baudelaire. Manet cared a great deal about this portrait and, knowing that a book on Baudelaire's life and work was being published, asked the publisher to reproduce it on the title page of the book.