Manet’s work causes a lot of criticism because of the artist’s unique style. During his lifetime, the primary trend in art was realism. The main distinguishing feature of realism is that it must convey to the viewer reality as it is. The realists’ paintings seem to be a continuation of the outside world, but not works of art. On the other hand, Manet does not try to create the illusion of reality, but on the contrary, by depicting quite realistic scenes, the artist, through details and various techniques, makes the audience look for deeper meanings.
One example of such paintings is Le Dejeuner sur l’Herbe (Manet). Although the painting depicts naked females against the background of nature, a fairly common characteristic of realism, the artist uses techniques that make the picture unrealistic. For example, in the background, the proportions are significantly violated. In reality, the river and the boat should be much larger than the girl. Moreover, all the females in the picture seem unrealistic and do not fit into the overall action. The female figure in the central plan looks flat due to the selected tones, while the male figures are more voluminous and lively (Figure 1). In addition, the dark background against which the woman is depicted, like trees and men’s costumes, makes her skin look paler. It may seem that this is not a woman but a porcelain doll that belongs to men. On the other hand, the woman in the background seems more lively, perhaps since she is at a certain distance from the men and is depicted not against their background but against a light landscape.
In addition, details are of particular importance, like the fruit in the foreground. The food remains untouched, which belies the title of the painting. In a realistic depiction, the people in the image could be shown in the process of eating. However, in Manet’s painting, they are entirely uninterested in food. All this makes us look for the deep meanings inherent in the image and make assumptions about what the artist wanted to depict. Lack of proportion and color contrasts can make Manet’s paintings seem amateurish. Moreover, the image of a naked female body against the background of fully dressed men can be considered immoral. However, with his work, the artist laid the foundation for impressionism, making the viewer think about the emotions the picture evokes.
Work Cited
Manet, Eduard. Le Dejeuner sur l’herbe. 1863. Musée d’Orsay. Web.