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Example research essay topic: 20 Th Century Manet Paintings - 1,743 words

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Much of the art of Manet reflects the developments going on in Paris in the 1860 s and 1870 s. The rebuilding of Paris was being supervised by Baron Haussmann, as much of the old medieval centre of the city was being destroyed so that the new city could be rebuilt. In his book "The painting of modern life" TJ Clark argues that modern art of the 20 th century evolves from the art produced by Manet during this period of great change in Paris. Manet's scenes of Parisian cafes, bars and streets reflected the new Paris. Manet's work influenced the impressionist painters, who were a strong influences on the painting of the 20 th century, so in this sense Manet's painting is the first modern art that emerged from the creation of the new Paris which Manet depicted in many of his paintings. While Le Dejeuner Sur L'Herbe and Olympia were the most famous and most controversial works Manet produced, I do not feel they represent the view of the French writer Baudelaire who came up with the phrase 'modern life'.

Instead I will be focusing more on Manet's last great masterpiece The Bar at the Folies-Bergere, a much better display of Paris life, as well as some of his other lesser known, smaller works. I will be discussing the relation of Manet's art, especially this painting of the Folies Bergere night club, to modern life in Paris at this time. During the 1860 s under the reign of Napoleon III in France, the city of Paris became one of the most modern in the world due to the extensive redesigning by Baron Georges Eugene Haussmann. Paris was full of bars, operas, cafes, cabarets and a centre of dance and western culture. Many of the slums and poor inner city areas were redesigned with wide open streets and modern buildings. While this meant many of the lower class people were moved out of the city, many richer and middle class people moved to the inner city in their place.

It was one of the largest efforts to rebuild the centre of a city since ancient times. While there was the glamour of the many entertainments in the city, there was also a darker side of poverty, crime and prostitution. "The city - with its pristine exterior, its soiled underside, its hollow entertainments - provided the makings of an enormous duality: a two-sided mirror... a spectacle and secret life. " (Brombert 1996: 62) One of the key parts to this design by Haussmann were the wide tree lined avenues, which replaced the smaller streets that had previously existed in the city. "Haussmann's grand design for the reconstruction of Paris was being carried forward by the Third Republic, and the city was now laced with wide, tree-lined avenues. " (Schneider 1972: 134) In fact, the modern city of Paris is based on the city that was built by Haussmann and the modern perception of Paris as being the artistic and cultural centre that it is known for, is chiefly based on Haussmann's design and re-modelling of the city. The art of Edouard Manet depicted modern life in the new Paris, as advocated by the writer Baudelaire. Charles Pierre Baudelaire was a writer in nineteenth century Paris, a contemporary of Manet, who knew Manet personally, and who wrote about the idea of modern life.

Baudelaire encouraged the artists of the day to paint modern scenes, such as looking at the world around them for inspiration, rather than turning to scenes from the past, or idealized romanticism that was popular in the first half of the century. In 1863 Baudelaire published his views on modern art in a book called The Painter of Modern Life, which was "widely held to be the source from which Manet drew his ideas about art. " (Brombert 1996: 59) He wrote in this book that the painter should emphasise both the negative and positive aspects of the new city; the spectacular entertainments, and the seedy underbelly as well. The modern life displayed in Manet's paintings, was copied and followed by several of the impressionists such as Renoir, who also painted modern scenes. Compared to the other impressionists, Manet's art is much more modern, much more involved in the city and the people living in what was for him, contemporary Paris.

Of course, images of contemporary life had been made before Manet came along, but with him "the persistence and intensity of modern imagery... is much more a dominant characteristic. " (Hanson 1977: 34) Manet's scenes of modern life in Paris influenced the impressionist painters. Art of Paris in the time of the Impressionists such as Manet increasingly depicted modern life. The realism of such painters as Gustave Courbet depicted scenes of peasants in the fields, ordinary people working or standing around a funeral, as in the Burial at Organs in 1849. This type of art was further developed by Manet, who went from outdoor scenes such as the infamous Le Dejeuner Sur L'Herbe to scenes of Paris life. The people, buildings and life of Paris became the subject for the modern painter, "This is the setting for the painter of modern life: ...

the streets of Paris in all their elegance and sordidness. " (Brombert 1996: 61) Painters from America and Europe and all over the world came to Paris in this time, which was seen as the city that was the centre of western culture and art. Manet strongly influenced the impressionist painters, such as Renoir, who painted modern scenes such as the Luncheon of the Boating Party, or the Moulin de la Gazette. In turn, his work influenced post-impressionists such as Seurat, who did the enormous painting of contemporary people relaxing on afternoon on an island in the Seine River. The depiction of these scenes of modern people engaging in conversation or ordinary activities such as eating at a restaurant became to be seen as a type of modern living. "There are pictures by Manet and Seurat... in which the environs of Paris are recognized to be a specific form of life. " (Clark 1985: 147) Manet's scenes of Paris influenced artists such as Monet and Degas, as he was the first painter to paint in this new style of showing people in ordinary activities. "Manet was the first to paint Impressionist scenes of daily life and... was imitated by Monet and Degas in their early works. " (Wilenski 1973: 229) Paris scenes such as cafes were common in Manet's art.

In the decade following 1870 he painted many scenes of modern life in Paris. "In the 1870 s, Manet again turned with delight to painting the scenes and subjects he liked best: Paris, and Parisians everywhere they appeared. " (Schneider 1972: 144) Manet often sat at the restaurant on the Avenue de Clichy called Pere Lathuille's, which had a garden as well as the eating area. He was able to paint simultaneously a scene showing the people of Paris, along with an outdoor scene from this restaurant. (See Cachin 1995: 123) One of the paintings he produced here was At Pere Lathuille's showing a man looking very interested in a woman sitting a table at the restaurant who does not seem as interested in him as he is in her. He looks like he is getting too close and possibly annoying her, while she sits rigidly and disinterested. These type of paintings at places of eating were "among the most lively and fascinating of this new, modern genre. " (Duchting 1995: 95) Manet's version of the Parisian life and streets was more familiar and playful than the modern scenes painted by Degas. (Cachin 1995: 122) Manet depicted many scenes of the streets of Paris in his works. He did several paintings showing the streets when french flags were unfurled along the sides, and the horses and carts, and people walking past could be seen.

The Rue Mosnier decked with flags, a very blurry work, shows the red, white and blue flags all over the buildings on either side of the street. He did another painting of the same subject with the same title, showing a man with one leg walking by with crutches at the bottom left and flags all over. Again depicting the same street, but this time in a different context, is Rue Monster with Pavers, where he shows the men repairing the street while people and horses move past in the background. Manet made many paintings showing modern people at cafes, restaurants and bars. These paintings show people socialising with very real expressions, they are either tired, disinterested, contemplative, or actively talking, socialising and drinking; having fun. From people eating at his own studio in Luncheon in the Studio, to the restaurants of Paris such as At the Cafe he loved portraying these functions.

A typical one is The Waitress, which is a view of a crowded concert room, as though the action had been frozen in time momentarily. The focus of the painting is the waitress herself, who pauses for a moment behind a seated customer smoking a pipe, while a ballet dancer, with arms extended as she is about to turn, is on stage in the background. A dancer also appears in the background of The Cafe-concert, which is a scene at a bar with people showing ordinary emotions. A woman at the front looks dejected, with her eyes downwards. The gentleman on the right with his hands on what looks like a cane, seems as though he is about to move, thinking about what to do next. Behind them a woman holds a glass of beer to her mouth, half way through drinking it.

Manet has painted beer drinking people before, a woman in mid drink is one of the two women in The Beer Drinkers. In Le Bon Bock, a fat, cheerful, bearded man sits with a pipe in one hand and a glass of beer in the other, looking straight at the viewer. It is a dark painting other than the flesh tones, but even so it is obvious he is sitting at a corner of a bar due to part of the table which is seen. One of the more well known Manet paintings shows a woman who is not interested in her drink at all, The Plum Brandy, where she stares into space almost not noticing the drink in front of her. In this painting as in...


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