Manet's famous painting Un Bar aux Folies-Bergère never appealed to me.
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This diagram shows how the perspective works in Manet's famous painting Un bar aux Folies Bergère. We are viewing the woman at an angle, and while the man is outside our field of view, his reflection can be seen.
Astounding! But it's not just a technical feat. It allowed Manet to make a deep point. While the woman is busy serving her customer, she is internally completely detached - perhaps bored, perhaps introspective. She is SPLIT.
To fully understand the painting you also need to know that many of the barmaids at the Folies Bergère also served as prostitutes. Standing behind the oranges, the champagne and a bottle of Bass ale, the woman is just as much a commodity as these other things. But she is coldly detached from her objectification.
The woman in the painting was actually a real person, known as Suzon, who worked at the Folies-Bergère in the early 1880s. For his painting, Manet posed her in his studio.
Before I understood this painting, I wasn't really looking at it - I didn't see it. I didn't even see the green shoes of the trapeze artist. I can often grasp music quite quickly. But paintings often fail to move me until someone explains them.
When Manet came out with this painting in 1882, some critics mocked him for his poor understanding of perspective. Some said he was going senile. It was, in fact, his last major painting. But he was a genius, and he was going... whoosh... over their heads, just like he went over mine.
This diagram was created by Malcolm Park with help from Darren McKimm. For more details go here:
https://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/manet_bar/looking_glass.html
(3/3)
@johncarlosbaez Somewhat ironically, our college bar had the full-size Manet behind it, in between mirrored sections.
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Manet's famous painting Un Bar aux Folies-Bergère never appealed to me. But now I realize its genius, and my spine tingles every time I see it.
The perspective looks all wrong. You're staring straight at this barmaid, but her reflection in the mirror is way off to right. Even worse, her reflection is facing a guy who doesn't appear in the main view!
But in 2000, a researcher showed this perspective is actually possible!!! To prove it, he did a photographic reconstruction of this scene. Check it out in my next post.
This blows my mind.
(1/3)
@johncarlosbaez I just always thought the guy in the mirror was you the viewer. 😄
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Manet's famous painting Un Bar aux Folies-Bergère never appealed to me. But now I realize its genius, and my spine tingles every time I see it.
The perspective looks all wrong. You're staring straight at this barmaid, but her reflection in the mirror is way off to right. Even worse, her reflection is facing a guy who doesn't appear in the main view!
But in 2000, a researcher showed this perspective is actually possible!!! To prove it, he did a photographic reconstruction of this scene. Check it out in my next post.
This blows my mind.
(1/3)
@johncarlosbaez Also it’s a painting and not meant to follow the rules of photography and reality.
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This diagram shows how the perspective works in Manet's famous painting Un bar aux Folies Bergère. We are viewing the woman at an angle, and while the man is outside our field of view, his reflection can be seen.
Astounding! But it's not just a technical feat. It allowed Manet to make a deep point. While the woman is busy serving her customer, she is internally completely detached - perhaps bored, perhaps introspective. She is SPLIT.
To fully understand the painting you also need to know that many of the barmaids at the Folies Bergère also served as prostitutes. Standing behind the oranges, the champagne and a bottle of Bass ale, the woman is just as much a commodity as these other things. But she is coldly detached from her objectification.
The woman in the painting was actually a real person, known as Suzon, who worked at the Folies-Bergère in the early 1880s. For his painting, Manet posed her in his studio.
Before I understood this painting, I wasn't really looking at it - I didn't see it. I didn't even see the green shoes of the trapeze artist. I can often grasp music quite quickly. But paintings often fail to move me until someone explains them.
When Manet came out with this painting in 1882, some critics mocked him for his poor understanding of perspective. Some said he was going senile. It was, in fact, his last major painting. But he was a genius, and he was going... whoosh... over their heads, just like he went over mine.
This diagram was created by Malcolm Park with help from Darren McKimm. For more details go here:
https://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/manet_bar/looking_glass.html
(3/3)
@johncarlosbaez for some more fun, compare it to Jeff Wall Picture for Women! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picture_for_Women
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@johncarlosbaez for some more fun, compare it to Jeff Wall Picture for Women! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picture_for_Women
@gaunilone - thanks! Interesting.
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This diagram shows how the perspective works in Manet's famous painting Un bar aux Folies Bergère. We are viewing the woman at an angle, and while the man is outside our field of view, his reflection can be seen.
Astounding! But it's not just a technical feat. It allowed Manet to make a deep point. While the woman is busy serving her customer, she is internally completely detached - perhaps bored, perhaps introspective. She is SPLIT.
To fully understand the painting you also need to know that many of the barmaids at the Folies Bergère also served as prostitutes. Standing behind the oranges, the champagne and a bottle of Bass ale, the woman is just as much a commodity as these other things. But she is coldly detached from her objectification.
The woman in the painting was actually a real person, known as Suzon, who worked at the Folies-Bergère in the early 1880s. For his painting, Manet posed her in his studio.
Before I understood this painting, I wasn't really looking at it - I didn't see it. I didn't even see the green shoes of the trapeze artist. I can often grasp music quite quickly. But paintings often fail to move me until someone explains them.
When Manet came out with this painting in 1882, some critics mocked him for his poor understanding of perspective. Some said he was going senile. It was, in fact, his last major painting. But he was a genius, and he was going... whoosh... over their heads, just like he went over mine.
This diagram was created by Malcolm Park with help from Darren McKimm. For more details go here:
https://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/manet_bar/looking_glass.html
(3/3)
@johncarlosbaez I interpreted it that she is looking straight at us and in the mirror she is looking at the customer therefore we are the customer.
But if the perspective doesn't add up then I guess we are the next customer along. -
@johncarlosbaez Also it’s a painting and not meant to follow the rules of photography and reality.
@jranft - indeed, painters can do whatever they want. For example the woman is more thin than her reflection.
But this painting was made in an era when realism was the the norm, and it confused people.
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@markmetz - I haven't seen that. Sounds good!
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@johncarlosbaez Somewhat ironically, our college bar had the full-size Manet behind it, in between mirrored sections.
@BashStKid - Maybe someone had a wicked sense of humor.
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@jranft - indeed, painters can do whatever they want. For example the woman is more thin than her reflection.
But this painting was made in an era when realism was the the norm, and it confused people.
@johncarlosbaez Impressionism was a fleeting glimpse of reality, often distorting it in this way.
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@jranft - indeed, painters can do whatever they want. For example the woman is more thin than her reflection.
But this painting was made in an era when realism was the the norm, and it confused people.
@johncarlosbaez Impressionism was a fleeting glimpse of reality, often distorting it in this way.
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Manet's famous painting Un Bar aux Folies-Bergère never appealed to me. But now I realize its genius, and my spine tingles every time I see it.
The perspective looks all wrong. You're staring straight at this barmaid, but her reflection in the mirror is way off to right. Even worse, her reflection is facing a guy who doesn't appear in the main view!
But in 2000, a researcher showed this perspective is actually possible!!! To prove it, he did a photographic reconstruction of this scene. Check it out in my next post.
This blows my mind.
(1/3)
@johncarlosbaez Except that the bottles behind the barmaid are not the mirror image of the bottles in front, and they are at the furthest edge of the "reflected" slab and also at the furthest edge of the front slab. (I notice Park's reconstruction does this too, which makes me suspect it). Also, the gilded straight line reminds me of a picture frame, soooo maybe it's a painting of a barmaid standing in front of another *painting" of a bar from behind showing a customer being served. Which would be extremely meta of Manet, but not unheard of.
Also, if the wall behind the front bar is supposed to be a mirror, it doesn't make sense, because is shows the balcony on the opposite side of the room and only open space between the balcony and the bar. So where is the customer supposed to be standing?
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@spacemagick @johncarlosbaez @antopatriarca @ojs "Waldy", heh. In our family we call him "Wally the hobbit" and watch anything he makes.
@sennoma @johncarlosbaez @antopatriarca @ojs
Likewise! He's a superb presenter and educator.
(He's "Waldy" because of the "Waldy & Bendy" podcast :-) )
#art -
Manet's famous painting Un Bar aux Folies-Bergère never appealed to me. But now I realize its genius, and my spine tingles every time I see it.
The perspective looks all wrong. You're staring straight at this barmaid, but her reflection in the mirror is way off to right. Even worse, her reflection is facing a guy who doesn't appear in the main view!
But in 2000, a researcher showed this perspective is actually possible!!! To prove it, he did a photographic reconstruction of this scene. Check it out in my next post.
This blows my mind.
(1/3)
@johncarlosbaez great !
For London visitors or virtual visitors https://gallerycollections.courtauld.ac.uk/object-p-1934-sc-234 -
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