Edouard Manet - Bar at the Folies Berger 1882
Bar in the Folies Berger
1882 96x130cm oil/canvas
Courtauld Institute of Art, London, UK
From Rewald John's book. "History of Impressionism" At the Salon of 1882, Manet, now out of competition, exhibited a large painting, The Bar at the Folies Bergère, an imposing composition painted with extraordinary virtuosity. He once again showed the strength of his brush, the subtlety of observation and the courage not to follow a pattern. Like Degas, he continued to show an unfailing interest in contemporary topics (he was even going to write a locomotive driver), but he approached them not as a cold observer, but with the ardent enthusiasm of a researcher of new phenomena of life. By the way, Degas did not like his last painting and called it "boring and sophisticated." "The bar at the Folies Bergère" cost Manet a lot of effort, as he began to suffer severely from ataxia. He was disappointed when the public again refused to understand his painting, perceiving only the plot, and not the skill of execution.
In a letter to Albert Wolf, he could not help saying, half jokingly, half seriously: "After all, I would have nothing against reading, while still alive, the magnificent article that you will write after my death."
After the Salon closed, Manet was finally officially declared a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor. As great as his joy was, it was mingled with some bitterness. When the critic Shesnot congratulated him, and also conveyed to him the best wishes of Count Riuwerkerke, Manet sharply replied: “When you write to Count Riuwerkerke, you can tell him that I appreciate his tender attention, but that he himself had the opportunity to give me this award. He could make me happy, and now it's too late to make up for twenty years of failure..."
Today we will talk about the painting by Edouard Manet BAR IN FOLY-BERGERRE 1882, which has become one of the famous masterpieces of world art.
In 1881, in the French Salon, E. Manet was awarded the long-awaited second award for a portrait of a lion hunter. Pertuise. After that, Manet becomes out of competition and can exhibit his paintings, without any permission from the jury of the Salon.
The long-awaited glory comes, but his illness progresses simply inexorably and he knows about it and therefore, longing gnaws at him.
In September 1879, Manet suffered his first acute attack of rheumatism. It soon turned out that he was sick with ataxia - a violation of coordination of movements. The disease progressed rapidly, limiting the creative possibilities of the artist. Mane tries to resist a serious illness. Can't he overcome the disease?
WORK ON THE PICTURE.
Manet decides to gather all his strength and will, they are still trying to bury him early. He can be seen in the cafe "New Athens", in the cafe Bad, at Tortoni, at the Folies Bergère and at his friends. He always tries to joke and be ironic, has fun about his "weaknesses" and jokes about his leg.
He decides to implement his new idea: to draw a scene from everyday Parisian life and depict the view of the famous Folies Bergère bar, in which the lovely girl Suzon stands behind the counter, in front of numerous bottles. The girl is known by many regular visitors to the bar.
The painting “Bar at the Folies Bergère” is a work of extraordinary courage and picturesque subtlety: a blond girl stands behind the bar, behind her is a large mirror, which reflects the large hall of the institution with the audience sitting in it. She has an ornament on a black velvet around her neck, her gaze is cold, she is bewitchingly motionless, she looks indifferently at those around her.
This complex plot of the canvas is moving forward with great difficulty.
The artist struggles with it and remakes it many times. In early May 1882, Manet completes the painting and becomes happy contemplating it in the Salon. No one laughs at his paintings anymore, all his paintings are considered with great seriousness, they begin to argue about them as real works of art.
He created his last work, Bar at the Folies Bergère, as if saying goodbye to the life that he so cherished, admired so much and thought about a lot. The work absorbed everything that the artist had been looking for and finding for so long in an unremarkable life.
The best images are woven together to be embodied in this young girl who stands in a noisy Parisian tavern. In this institution, people seek joy by contacting their own kind, seeming fun and laughter reign here, a young and sensitive master reveals the image of a young life that is immersed in sadness and loneliness.
It is hard to believe that this work was written by a dying artist, to whom any movement of the hand caused pain and suffering. But even before his death, Edouard Manet remains a real fighter. He had to go through a difficult life path before he discovered the true beauty that he had been looking for all his life and found it in ordinary people, finding in their souls the inner wealth to which he gave his heart.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PICTURE
The canvas depicts one of the most famous cabarets in Paris, the end of the nineteenth century. This is the artist's favorite place.
Why did he love being there so much? The vibrant life of the capital was Manet's preference over the calm everyday regularity. He felt at this cabaret, better than at home.
Sketches and blanks for the picture, apparently, Manet did right in the bar. This bar was on the ground floor of the variety show. Sitting to the right of the stage, the artist began to make blanks for the canvas. After, he turned to the barmaid and his good friend, asking him to pose for him in his studio.
The basis of the composition was to be a friend of Manet and a barmaid, facing each other. They must be passionate about communicating with each other. The sketches found by Manet confirm this idea of the master.
But Manet decided to make the scene a little more significant than it was. In the background, there was a mirror reflecting the crowds of people filling the bar. In front of all these people, there was a bartender, she was thinking about her own, being at the counter in the bar. Although there is fun and noise around, the barmaid does not care about the crowd of visitors, she is hovering in her own thoughts. But on the right you can see, as if her own reflection, only she is talking with one visitor. How to understand it?
Apparently, the picture in the mirror is the events of the past minutes, but in reality what is depicted is that the girl thought about the conversation that took place a few minutes ago.
If you look at the bottles on the marble bar counter, you will notice that their reflection in the mirror does not match the original. The reflection of the barmaid is also unrealistic. She looks directly at the viewer, while in the mirror she is facing the man. All these inconsistencies make the viewer wonder if Manet depicted the real or imaginary world.
Although the picture is very simple in plot, it makes each viewer think and think of something of their own. Manet conveyed the contrast between a cheerful crowd and a lonely girl in the middle of the crowd.
Also in the picture you can see a society of artists, with their muses, aesthetes and their ladies. These people are in the left corner on the canvas. One woman is holding binoculars. This reflects the essence of a society that wants to look at others and expose itself to them. At the top left corner you can see the legs of the acrobat. Both the acrobat and the crowd of people having fun cannot, brighten up the loneliness and sadness of the barmaid.
The date and signature of the master is displayed on the label of one of the bottles, which is in the lower left corner.
The peculiarity of this painting by Manet, in its deep meaning, many symbols, and secrecy. Usually the paintings of the artist did not differ in such characteristics. The same picture conveys many depths of human thoughts. In the cabaret there are people of different backgrounds and status. But all people are equal in their desire to have fun and have a good time.
Text with illustrations and discussion of the painting.http://maxpark.com/community/6782/content/3023062
Plot
Most of the canvas is occupied by a mirror. It is not only a piece of furniture that gives depth to the picture, but is actively involved in the plot. In his reflection, we see what happens to the main character in reality: noise, the play of lights, a man addressing her. The same thing that Manet shows as reality is the world of Suzon's dreams: she is immersed in her thoughts, detached from the bustle of the cabaret - as if the surrounding nativity scene does not concern her at all. Reality and dream changed places.
sketch of a painting
The reflection of the barmaid is different from her real body. In the mirror, the girl seems fuller, she leaned towards the man, listening to him. The client, on the other hand, considers as a product not only what is displayed on the counter, but also the girl herself. This is hinted at by bottles of champagne: they belong in a bucket of ice, but Manet left them so that we can see how their shape is similar to the figure of a girl. You can buy a bottle, you can buy a glass, or you can also the one who will uncork this bottle for you.
The bar counter resembles still lifes in the vanitas genre, which was distinguished by a moralistic mood and reminded that everything worldly is transient and perishable. Fruit is a symbol of fall, a rose is a symbol of carnal pleasures, bottles are a symbol of decline and weakness, fading flowers are death and fading beauty. Beer bottles with Bass labels say that the British were frequent guests in this establishment.
Bar at the Folies Bergère, 1881
Electric lighting, so brightly and clearly written out in the picture, is perhaps the first such image. Such lamps at that time only became part of everyday life.
Context
Folies Bergère is a place that reflected the spirit of the time, the spirit of the new Paris. These were cafe-concerts, decently dressed men and indecently dressed women flocked here. In the company of the ladies of the demimonde, the gentlemen drank and ate. In the meantime, a performance was taking place on the stage, the numbers succeeded each other. Decent women in such establishments could not appear.
By the way, the Folies-Bergere was opened under the name of Folies-Trevize - this hinted to customers that “in the foliage of Trevize” (as the name is translated) you can hide from prying eyes and indulge in fun and pleasure. Guy de Maupassant called the local barmaids "sellers of drinks and love."
Folies Bergère, 1880
Manet was a regular at the Folies Bergère, but he painted the picture not in the cafe-concert itself, but in the workshop. In the cabaret, he made several sketches, Suzon (by the way, she really worked in a bar) and a friend, military artist Henri Dupré, posed in the studio. The rest was restored from memory.
The Bar at the Folies Bergère was the last large painting by the artist, who died a year after it was completed. Needless to say, the public saw only inconsistencies, shortcomings, accused Manet of amateurism and considered his canvas at least strange?
The fate of the artist
Manet, who belonged to high society, was enfant terrible. He did not want to learn anything, success was mediocre in everything. The father was disappointed with the behavior of his son. And having learned about his craving for painting and the ambitions of the artist, he was completely on the verge of disaster.
A compromise was found: Edward went on a voyage, which was supposed to help the young man prepare for admission to the naval school (where, I must say, he could not get the first time). However, Manet returned from a voyage to Brazil not with the makings of a sailor, but with sketches and sketches. This time, the father, who liked these works, was supportive of his son's passion and blessed him for the life of an artist.
, 1863
Early works spoke of Manet as promising, but he lacked his own style, plots. Edward soon focused on what he knew and loved most - the life of Paris. Walking, Manet made sketches of scenes from life. Such sketches were not perceived by contemporaries as serious painting, believing that such drawings were suitable only for illustrations of magazines and reports. This would later be called Impressionism. In the meantime, Manet, along with like-minded people - Pissarro, Cezanne, Monet, Renoir, Degas - are proving their right to free creativity within the framework of the Batignolles school they created.
, 1863
Some semblance of confession to Manet appeared in the 1890s. His paintings began to be acquired in private and public collections. However, by that time the artist was no longer alive.
The painting by Manet in question has become one of the most famous works of art. The canvas depicts one of the most famous cabarets in Paris, the end of the nineteenth century. This favorite place of the artist, prompted him to write one of his masterpieces, depicted this institution with a brush.
Why did he love being there so much? The vibrant life of the capital was Manet's preference over the calm everyday regularity. He felt at this cabaret, better than at home.
Sketches and blanks for the picture, apparently, Manet did right in the bar. This bar was on the ground floor of the variety show. Sitting to the right of the stage, the artist began to make blanks for the canvas. After, he turned to the barmaid and his good friend, asking him to pose for him in his studio.
The basis of the composition was to be a friend of Manet and a barmaid, facing each other. They must be passionate about communicating with each other. The sketches found by Manet confirm this idea of the master.
But Manet decided to make the scene a little more significant than it was. In the background, there was a mirror reflecting the crowds of people filling the bar. In front of all these people, there was a bartender, she was thinking about her own, being at the counter in the bar. Although there is fun and noise around, the barmaid does not care about the crowd of visitors, she is hovering in her own thoughts. But on the right you can see, as if her own reflection, only she is talking with one visitor. How to understand it?
First, the reflection of the bartender must be in a different place. Also, her posture in the reflection is different. How can this be explained? Apparently, the picture in the mirror is the events of the past minutes, but in reality what is depicted is that the girl thought about the conversation that took place a few minutes ago.
On the marble counter and in the mirror, even the bottles stand differently. Reality and reflection do not match.
Although the picture is very simple in plot, it makes each viewer think and think of something of their own. Manet conveyed the contrast between a cheerful crowd and a lonely girl in the middle of the crowd.
Also in the picture you can see a society of artists, with their muses, aesthetes and their ladies. These people are in the left corner on the canvas. One woman is holding binoculars. This reflects the essence of a society that wants to look at others and expose itself to them. At the top left corner you can see the legs of the acrobat. Both the acrobat and the crowd of people having fun cannot brighten up the loneliness and sadness of the barmaid.
The play of black colors distinguishes Manet's painting from the works of other artists. It is very difficult to make the black color play on the canvas, but Manet succeeded.
The date and signature of the master is displayed on the label of one of the bottles, which is in the lower left corner.
The peculiarity of this painting by Manet, in its deep meaning, many symbols, and secrecy. Usually the paintings of the artist did not differ in such characteristics. The same picture conveys many depths of human thoughts. In the cabaret there are people of different backgrounds and status. But all people are equal in their desire to have fun and have a good time.
Edouard Manet - Bar at the Folies Bergère, 1882
Un bar aux Folies Bergère
Canvas, oil.
Original size: 96×130cm
Courtauld Institute of Art, London
Description: The Bar at the Folies Bergère (French: Un bar aux Folies Bergère) is a painting by Edouard Manet.
The Folies Bergère is a variety show and cabaret in Paris. It is located at Richet Street 32. At the end of the 19th century, this place was very popular. Manet frequented the Folies Bergère and ended up painting this painting, the last one he presented at the Paris Salon before his death in 1883. Manet made sketches for the picture right in the bar, located on the ground floor of the variety show to the right of the stage. Then he asked the bartender Suzon and his friend, the military artist Henri Dupray, to pose in the studio. Initially, the basis of the composition should be the barmaid and the client facing each other, carried away by the conversation. This is evidenced not only by the surviving sketches, but also by x-rays of the painting. Manet later decided to make the scene more meaningful. In the background, a mirror is visible, which reflects a huge number of people filling the room. Across from this crowd, behind the counter, is a bartender absorbed in her own thoughts. Manet managed to convey a feeling of incredible loneliness in the midst of a drinking, eating, talking and smoking crowd, watching an acrobat on a trapeze, which can be seen in the upper left corner of the picture.
If you look at the bottles on the marble bar counter, you will notice that their reflection in the mirror does not match the original. The reflection of the barmaid is also unrealistic. She looks directly at the viewer, while in the mirror she is facing the man. All these inconsistencies make the viewer wonder if Manet depicted the real or imaginary world. The mirror, which reflects the figures depicted in the picture, makes Bar in the Folies Bergère related to Velasquez's Las Meninas and van Eyck's Arnolfini.
Description of the painting by Edouard Manet “Bar at Folies Bergère”
This work of art has received great fame. It conveys everyday life in a 19th century French metropolitan bar. The artist himself was here quite often, which made him take up the brush.
What explains Manet's craving for idle pastime in this cabaret? The thing is that the creator did not like peace, silence. More he liked to have fun, communicate, have intimate conversations, meet people. That is why he was so attracted by the riotous lifestyle of a Parisian pub.
It seems that the artist began to paint his picture right inside the institution. At first, he sat near the stage, on the right side, and marked the sketch. Then he asked the barmaid to stand in front of him in her usual position - behind the bar, but already in Manet's creative workshop.
After the death of the artist, his first works from this cabaret were discovered. It turns out that the original idea of the picture was somewhat different. It should have depicted a barmaid and a young man - a friend of Manet. They stood opposite each other and talked.
The result is different: the bartender stands in front of a crowd of customers who are visible in the mirror hanging behind her. She is thoughtful, distracted, does not listen to people, but dreams of her own. However, right there we see her on the right, as if the girl is talking with a man who has entered the bar. Is that her or the other bartender? This question has remained unanswered.
Perhaps what is in the mirror is what is in the head of the cabaret worker. That is, a display of her thoughts, memories of the just past. The viewer understands: the girl is lonely, and life is teeming around her. An acrobat, drunken faces, cheerful clients do not please the girl, she is all immersed in her sad thoughts. But she can’t leave here either, because this is her job. disharmony of life.
