Charles Baudelaire, a French poet and essay writer, was brought up in a society which praised natural beauty; wearing cosmetics by women was mostly associated with stage performances. However, Baudelaire questioned the culture of the supremacy of nature which many in the early period embraced to promote natural beauty. According to him, no woman is so beautiful that her beauty cannot be improved by applying make-up. The Painter of Modern Life essay was highly influential as it promoted modern aesthetic and addressed aspects of modern life; Baudelaire praised the use of cosmetics adding that the mentality of the society on beauty was changing with time. In his essay, he focuses on two aspects which are beauty and modernity; according to him, beauty has two elements which must be integrated to produce a complete concept i . Baudelaire further relates this theory to the practice of art where he insists that artists should incorporate beauty in nature art to create works that are within the power of interpretation and appreciation by human beings. Baudelaire’s concept of modernity integrated the eternal element of nature which was invariable and a relative element which composed of age, fashion, and emotions. This concept greatly influenced Manet’s art evident in the major artworks he did after the essay, The Painter of Modern Life. The techniques employed, subject matters and the unconventional nature of Manet’s painting helps understand Baudelaire idea of beauty and modernity. In most of his paintings, Manet incorporates Baudelaire’s world view of the outward modernity without omitting the eternal element of art which is rooted in traditional history. Manet seeks to understand the concept of modernity that surrounds him through his paintings and as a result, many critics have named him, “The Painter of Modern Life” as illustrated by the author, Charles Baudelaire. There are four main artworks by Edouard Manet that were inspired by the essay, The Painter of Modern Life by Charles Baudelaire. They are; A Bar at the Folies-Bergere (1881-82), Luncheon in the Studio (1868), Boating (1874) and Music in the Tuileries (1862). The works of Charles Baudelaire had an undeniably profound influence on Edouard Manet’s art, in regards to his adoption of the Baudelarian notion of cosmetics.
A Bar at the Folies-Bergere, one of the paintings by Manet is a clear illustration of the modern life as depicted by Baudelaire’s concept in his essay and that of the life Manet led. This painting shows Manet’s commitment to realism with a detailed manifestation of a modern scene which was a return of Baudelaire’s idea of the heroism to modern life. In the painting, the central figure, a barmaid stands before a mirror with a view of a modern bar at a famous music hall. Although the girl is gazing blankly, she looks weary and isolated in the middle of laughter, lights and music in the scene; the relevance is enhanced by the eternal aspect of the beautiful and admirable girl which is a result of the use of cosmetics to enhance her beauty ii . This gives a sense of identity to the people of modern society as the setting and objects in the painting are familiar. There is a distorted reflection of a man who is a representation of both the artist and the viewer of the art; the fascination belongs solely to this man as he plays the two roles. Manet paid attention to a wide range of objects in the painting, a technique that proved that he understood the modernity of life which was dynamic and mysterious as illustrated in Baudelaire’s essay. Multiple analysis has been conducted on this masterpiece to help understand its ultimate meaning; however, the art has maintained its contradictory outlook. The art is based on impressionism, and the framing is a product of the new art of photography which was an indication of the modern art that Baudelaire pleaded with artists to embrace.
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Luncheon in the Studio is a unique painting by Manet whose first impression depicts an association of figures around a table which are loosely arranged. A simple casually-dressed man is leaning against the front of the table; a woman is staring outside the picture and does not seem to be related to the scene and to the figures on the table iii . Also, there is a bearded man, who is said to have been a fellow painter cropped on the margin of the painting and is laying on the table; the picture of the vase also indicated a mastery in painting. The painting is composed of random objects with three unrelated people and a setting that cannot be categorized; this aspect has made it difficult for the painting to get a satisfactory interpretation iv . There are various identifications that have been made on the relationship between the people in the painting and its environment; some argue that the bearded man is Manet himself with the young man being his step-son Leenhoff and a servant woman who does not seem to be part of the picture. The painting is however recognized as one of the finest arts done by Manet; it is also considered important in the modern society. The art depicts concepts of the modern life, which shows the influence of Baudelaire’s essay on Manet as it is reflected in his painting. In Luncheon in the Studio art, Manet represents natural and romantic elements, which are a characteristic of traditional art and incorporates the modernism aspects of the contemporary society.
Boating painting done in 1874 was a masterpiece which depicts Manet’s adoption of the impressionist technique of painting as compared to his earlier works. This art, however, still has the traditional aspects of practice that Manet used before embracing modernity. Boating is a representation of Argenteuil where Manet spent time during the period he created the painting. The painting lacks a solid background as it was in the middle of a tranquil scene which causes a flurry movement. This was a sketch of manners which involved members of the society engaging in one of their favorite activities. In the essay Painters of the Modern Life, Baudelaire states that the technical means with which the art was carried out, including the fast and efficient use of brushstrokes, would obviously be the best v . This is illustrated when Manet paints in the free nature of modern life in Boating; this is necessary to keep up with the dynamic state of life without neglecting the eternal element of traditional art. Moreover, the woman’s face in the Boating picture is painted, and the man has his centrality with a static pose. Therefore, Manet becomes the painter of a passing moment and records it before it becomes a memory with all eternity it possesses. This is reflected in the essay where Baudelaire insists on the importance of recording the modern life before it becomes a history.
Music at the Tuileries painting was an open style where Manet painted a crowd of music lovers. The band is playing, and there is a crowd which has gathered to listen to the music. Also, in the painting, most women are seen to be seated taking care of the children and having coffee, while men are seen active and standing enjoying the music which signifies gender roles in the society. The fact that paintings of modern life were not encouraged or considered important made this paint by Manet a radical move which was supported by the essay of Baudelaire talking about painting the modern life. He had incorporated the techniques of impressionists which included outdoor scenes and the activity in the painting was part of modernity vi . As a result of this paint, Manet has been considered as the artist who brought the link between the traditional art and impressionism. This was following the key concept of the essay which insisted that modern art should not only be the central attention of the artists but also the ideal way to express modernity. Manet, therefore, embraced the new technique of modern art which would later become famous among the artists. Although he has embraced the modern art, Manet still holds on to tradition as his source of art but combines it with modern aspects and uses improved techniques to capture the moments and reflect reality as he watched it in specific moments.
Impressionism was a movement which originated in Paris with independent artists whose exhibitions brought to light this technique although it initially faced harsh opposition. This modern form of art was developed between the 18th and 19th century, a period when rapid changes in technology, manufacturing, and transportation occurred. These changes led to a shift in society’s way of living and doing things vii . Though the technique was initially opposed, the public later learned that impressionists had better captured the original vision of art. There are various characteristics of impressionist paintings which include relatively small and thin brush strokes, yet visible with emphasis on the changing qualities of light depicted in the paintings. The perfect illustration of changing light shows the outcomes of changing times. There was also an inclusion of movement in the arts which was crucial as it enhanced human perception; the people could also easily relate to the experiences. Impressionism painting often resembled a snapshot, an aspect that was inspired by photography to capture a momentary action not only in a landscape but also in the day to day lives of the people.
The impressionist techniques are composed of a wide range of attributes which gave a new look to the world of painting. They include; close attention paid to colors from different objects in the paint with an emphasis on natural light reflection in the picture. In addition, impressionist painting’s surfaces are usually opaque as transparent thin films are not used as was the case earlier with traditional artists to aid in manipulation in order to produce different effects. The painting is done in the evening if the artist intends to get the shadowlike implications in the art. The artists use short, thick strokes of paint in order to capture the subject quickly rather than the details of the art. Moreover, the wet painting is put into wet paint and removed without waiting for it to dry so as to bring out intermingling colors and softer edges of the picture viii . This form of modern art also encourages outdoor painting so as to ensure that the blue sky has its reflection on the surface of the painting to give a sense freshness. This characteristic of the art was not previously practiced and was inspired by the blue shadows on snow. Artists had been using some of these attributes throughout history. However, impressionists used all the attributes together to produce modern art. Another advantage that enhanced the success of impressionists was the fact with advanced technology, there were premixed paints which made it easier for the artists to work both indoors and outdoors. Before that, the painters used to mix their paints individually which limited their work indoors as the paints were stored in animal bladders.
Edouard Manet’s work is composed of creations which combine the traditional history of art and the contemporary reality. Although Manet’s exhibition on the modern art received negative treatment from the public at first, this form of art would later appear and be highly embraced in the contemporary society. Manet is therefore considered the first impressionist painter who made use of the loose brushstrokes in his painting and fast color stains in the background and mostly did his painting in the open air. It is of the essence to note that even though Manet embraced impressionism, his early painting represents the traditional form of art which was accepted in the modern society ix . The people in the modern era did not see the importance of depicting modern life into art; instead, they preferred the traditional art. Charles Baudelaire is a great force in the path Manet chose to follow as he highly advocated for modernism and pleaded with artists to break away from romantic art through his essays. The fashion, fascination and finally the transition of the paintings to embrace modernity by Manet was as said in the essay, Painters of Modern Life by Baudelaire who refers to it as a sketch of manners.
As if in response to Charles Baudelaire’s essay, Manet created paints which in their themes embraced the modernity in which the people lived with their subject matter originating from Baudelaire’s notion of beauty and modernity. This led to Manet being the most influential artist who heeded Baudelaire’s call of becoming painters of modern life instead of concentrating on the traditional painting which did not portray the modernism in which people lived. The modern paintings have an artificial tone; the mirror in Folies-Bergere; in Boating, there is an omission of horizon which is unnatural and the different color in Baudelaire’s Mistress among others. This represents a picture taken from a photograph an aspect that Baudelaire included as a characteristic of modern painting. Moreover, Manet mastered the aspect of integrating the historical tradition and contemporary reality to ensure that he maintained the relationship between art and life. This included the use of cosmetics on women to enhance their appearance and the application of impressionism technique in the painting work. The variety of objects portrayed in Manet’s paintings helps us understand his approach to the various painting; he integrates modernity and tradition in an attempt to preserve the past and present aspects of life x . The devotion of Manet in the transition of painting into modernity is seen in each of the paintings illustrating the integration of different elements intended to portray modernism as Baudelaire mentioned in his essay. All these concepts help us understand that Manet did not just turn to modern painting without substantial agenda. Instead, he seeks to preserve the essential attributes of modern life before it passes on to memory. Also, this will enable him to keep a record of a harmonious relationship between life and art, eternal elements and dynamic elements with an inclusion of the relevant and vital features in the society.
Bibliography
Baudelaire, Charles, and Jonathan Mayne. “The Painter of Modern Life, and Other Essays.” London: Phaidon, 2004. Accessed December 1, 2016. http://www.columbia.edu/itc/architecture/ockman/pdfs/dossier_4/Baudelaire.pdf
Manet, Édouard, Mary, Anne Stevens, and Lawrence, Nichols, W. Manet: portraying life . Toledo: Toledo Museum of Art, 2012.
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