If image, due to its amphibology, can be taken as a proposition given to contemplation as much as an operation of consciousness, the realm of painting seems to be a privileged locus to observe the intensification of its challenges to thought, as well as an apotheotic arena of its neutralization. This paper endeavors to unravel some aspects of image s surrounding issues, aiming, however, to clarify the possibility of a reflection on mimesis in modern painting. The work of painter Édouard Manet (1832-1883) is thus analyzed as a counter-example of the reiteration of an imitative urge in the visual arts – without neglecting to emphasize the deep connections established between the work and the world. Our speculation will focus on the formulation of images locus in Western thought, in order to clarify whether some initial propositions do not yet present themselves as obstacles in contemporary reflection. As it is not commonplace, the theoretical enterprise on mimesis, along with the emphasis on images as a unique mode of relationship, allows us to reflect on the poietic emphasis in Manet s painting, distancing it from the shadow of being a mere scandalous and repetitive chronicle. This investigation, therefore, intends to offer an objection to the imitative mechanism of some established discourses on visual arts.