Musée D'Orsay, Le déjeuner sur l'herbe-The Lunch on the grass (The Bathers)
The Lunch on the grass (The Bathers)
Edouard Manet (1832- 1883)
It is one of the most famous and influential pieces of French art of the 19th century.
Floating the boundaries of the high art and popular culture, it has inspired works by the like of Monet, Cézanne, and Picasso.
This work of art was executed by Edoard Manet, who was born in Paris in 1832. His father, who was a lauyer, hoped that he would some day follow in his footsteps.
His uncle Charles Fournier encouraged Manet’s appreciation for the arts, and took him to the Louve together with Manet’s best friend, Antonin Proust.
After serving seven the marine, he entered the studio of Thomas Couture from 1850 to 1856. He was influenced by the old masters, particularly velazquez and Goya.
Manet reasoned that ones art should reflect ideas and ideals of the present rather than the past.
Haussmann’s revitalization efforts not only affected the physical environment of Paris, but the cultural and social atmosphere as well. It was this modernity, with which Manet chose to concern himself,
On the other hand, Manet believed that success as an artist could only be obtained trough recognition at the Salon. So he put great emphasis at the Salon acceptance.
This Master piece was executed for the Salon in 1863, under the name of The Bathers.
The Salon Jury of that year was exceptionally brutal and more than the half of the 5000 submitted painting were rejected, among them was The Bathers.
Napolen III felt concerned by that fact and organised a Salon for the rejected paintings at the Palas de l’Industrie. It was there that Manet exhibited this painting for the first time.
Let’s analyse the reasons why Mantes painting was rejected:
· Its dimensions: 208 cm by 264 cm (the largest canvas realised by the artist). This size was at that time reserved strictly for religious, historical or mythological subjects
· Subject: the first name given to the painting was The Bathers. Hoy did the idea come up to the artist? He had already copied the Pastoral concert of Giorgione (attributed to Titiano) and studied the engraving realised after Raphael.
· He wanted to realise a painting like that, but with real people and a scenery not idealised.
According to his friend Proust, they were at Argenteuil, and he said after observing a group of bathers: “I want to paint that, exactly that kind of people, I know it is going to be a scandal, but they can say what they want”.
We can observe a group of 4 people, who are they and what are they doing?
· On the right side, Ferdinad Leenhoff, sculptor and future brother in low of Manet.
· Eugen Manet, his younger brother
· Victorine Meurend, Manet’s favourite model and mistress
· In the background, a kind of Venus washing herself
· A still life in the middle of a landscape
· On the very top we recognise a trumpeter finch.
According to our actual and modern mentality, the scenery is completely normal, but in 1863 it was considered extremely immoral because:
· The nude doesn’t recall a mythological subject.
· What are doing those naked men among the naked woman?
· What was she doing? Did she come to pick up flowers?
· It is a lack of shame.
· The kind of Venus in the background, why is she washing herself between the legs?
· The liked legs of the group of 3 on the foreground, what does it mean?
· The trumpeter finch and the linked legs are considered as a symbol of promiscuity.
The jury argued: “The picture describes an unthinkable situation”, and “it is a kind of unacceptable brushwork”
** Younger painters came to see the controversial painting and felt attracted by Manets innovation and followed his footsteps.
He became then the father of the modern art.
His work had influenced the impressionists like Monet, Picasso, Gilbert Shelton, Sewerd Johnson, etc.
In 1865 Manet decided to honour his friend Monet after he had seen his “Luncheon on the grass”, and he changed the name for “Le dèjeuner sur l’herbe”