Chris Khan 2008

Manet Impressionism

Color patch technique eliminated half tones He painted more often in the open air and lightened his palette. He used smaller, sketchier strokes and a brighter range of colors, and picking up in typical Impressionist fashion the light reflected from water and the almost abstract play of colors broken up by the ripples. Instantaneous vision from sensation rather than forms

The Absinthe Drinker

The Baudelairian subject matter of a drunk offended public morals and the loose handling and lack of definition of the painting outraged the critics. Absinthe was served from fountains placed behind the bar and was poured onto a spoonful of sugar. The Street Singer This is the first portrait of Victorine Meurent. She was Manet's favorite model until 1875. As she emerges from a cafe, this character is burdened with objects: a guitar and a bunch of cherries wrapped in paper from which she brings a handful to her lips. The Picnic It is a statement in favor of the artist's

individual freedom. The shock value of a nude woman casually lunching with two fully dressed men, which was an affront to the propriety of the time, was accentuated by the familiarity of the figures. The nude, Manet's model Victorine Meurent, whose body is starkly lit, stares directly at the viewer. The men seem to be engaged in conversation, ignoring the woman. In front of them, the woman's clothes, a basket of fruit, and a round loaf of bread are displayed, as in a still life. In the background a lightly clad woman wades in a stream. Too large in comparison with the figures in the foreground, she seems to float. The roughly painted background lacks depth giving the viewer the impression that the scene is not taking place outdoors, but in a studio. The man on the right wears a flat hat with a tassel, of a kind normally used only indoors. The style of the painting breaks with the academic traditions of the time. He did not try to hide the brush strokes: indeed, the painting looks unfinished in some parts of the scene. Olympia

The Old Musician

Six figures and an infant stand before a sketchy background. It turns out that each of these figures represents a classic work of art. The whole painting, then, is an anthology of the history of art. The frame awkwardly truncates part of one figure and a vine reminding you are observing a framed picture on a flat surface, hanging in a museum. The figures seem isolated and inert. Not one meets anothers eyes, and none is doing anything. The figure in the middle has put down his violin, and there is a powerful sense that the music that once animated and coordinated these figures has stopped. The Old Musician, strikingly, stares directly at the viewer. Music in the Tuileries

What shocked contemporary audiences was not Olympia's nudity, nor even the presence of her fully clothed maid, but her confrontational gaze and a number of details identifying her as a courtesan. These include the orchid in her hair, her bracelet, pearl earrings and the oriental shawl on which she lays, symbols of wealth and sensuality. The black ribbon around her neck, in stark contrast with her pale flesh, and her cast-off slipper underline the voluptuous atmosphere. Olympia disdainfully ignores the flowers presented to her by her servant, probably a gift from a client. Some have suggested that she is looking in the direction of the door, as her client barges in unannounced.

The violent reaction stemmed largely from Manet's isolated patches of color and inconsistent handling of the paint. Manet imitating reality gave some areas sharp definition and others almost none. He also used colors newly available to artists: cobalt blue and naples yellow. While the picture was not regarded as finished by some, the suggested atmosphere imparts a sense of what the Tuileries gardens were like at the time; one may imagine the music and conversation. Here Manet has depicted his friends, artists, authors, and musicians who take part, and he has included a selfportrait among the subjects.

The Dead Toreador

Mademoiselle Victorine Costume of an Espada

in

the

Woman with a Parrot

The Waitress

The Balcony

At the Beach

The Tragic Actor

Reminds me of Goya again. Luncheon in the Studio

Claude Monet Painting on his Studio Boat

The Execution Maximilian

of

Emperor

The Railway

Berthe Morisot Reminds me of Goyas painting of the shootings. Portrait of Emile Zola

Here he has captured Monet and his wife Camille in the boat which the painter used as a floating studio, rowing it up and down the Seine and stopping whenever he spotted a promising subject. Monet was often desperately poor, but could always rely on a loan from Manet who was equally unpopular but less dependent on art for his income. Thanks to Monets influence, Manet painted more often in the open air and lightened his palette. This picture receives a new freedom in treatment, Manet using smaller, more sketchy strokes and a brighter range of colors, and picking up in typical Impressionist fashion the light reflected from water and the almost abstract play of colors broken up by the ripples. Boaters of Argenteuil

The Fifer

Look at the paintings on the wall.

Bock Drinkers

Monet Family in the Garden at Agenteuil

Dead Christ and Angels At Bar at the Folies-Bergres It looks like shes looking at you, but you can see the real customer in the mirror, as well as all the people around. The Conservatory

Boating

The Guitar Player