Thoughts articulated using artworks beyond what is considered decent or moral is undoubtedly the most contentious in the field of art. Artworks portraying aesthetics are always commendable, while those that illicit morals and representing the other side of beauty always attract the attention of critics. It is noteworthy, however, that the meaning of art is usually collectively negotiated, and this makes art a public affair. For that reason, most artworks unavoidably trigger both political and public conflicts. At first sight, art may trigger two main types of art conflicts, which include either the interpretation/the aesthetic appreciation of the artwork or the legal legitimacy surrounding the publication of an artwork. By analyzing a particular artwork, people get to know the hidden content and conditions that pre-structure public conflicts regarding different artworks. This helps in informing how mass media and associated jurisdictions play an integral role in sanctifying the political quality of society as well as the conflicting nature of an artwork. This paper uses one of the daring provocateurs of the art world known as Édouard Manet, Le Dejeuner Sur l'Herbe, of 1863 to understand how artworks subvert the current structure in the society.
Édouard Manet's Le Dejeuner Sur l'Herbe, formerly known as Le Bain (The Bath) of 1863 and 1963, is a large oil on canvas painting (Fried, 1996). It depicts a naked female and a scantily dressed female bather in the company of two fully dressed gentlemen in a natural setting. Concerning the social contribution of this artwork, it is apparent that it solicited a negative perspective on the female gender. The presence of the nude woman elicits the need to teach women how to conduct themselves when in the company of men. Although most artworks usually depict women as the most immoral whose nudity can just be exposed anyhow, this artwork acts as a caution to women.
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Aesthetically, a nude female lunching with men who are adequately dressed caused an affront to its Manet's audiences' sense of dignity. However, it seems that this was Manet's approach of using a painting's subject as a pretext to paint. It more or less looked like a family portrait where the artist portrayed two models and probably his brothers having fun in a rural setting. Presently, this relates to my life as it depicts the images of most models today who expose their body parts without considering the perspective of various audiences.
Although there are no accounts of this artwork having been censored, preferably in 1863, it was overruled by the Salon in Paris and later got exhibited at the Salon des Refuses (Fried, 1996). The art remained scandalous because of the unabashed presence of the nude woman. During this period, the artwork was as astonishing and as scandalized the art world and the public perception. To this end, most governments are ever justified in censoring artworks because they show an image that is unwarranted in the public eye. Derived from Marcantonio Raimondi's carving The Judgment of Paris (c. 1515) after a drawing by Raphael, from various perspectives, this artwork was an insolent painting. It cheekily reworked Raphael's carving into a representation of rather ill-mannered Parisian sightseers (Wanda, 1994).
Finally, Manet did not conform to conventional methods in the artwork, which is usually considered the exodus for Modern Art. The naked image of a woman and fully dressed men depicts sexually explicit expression of one's self. Regardless of the criticism of this artwork, it consequently made it famous or popular art, although in a negative perspective. As much as it mystifies the general public, it affirms the aspect of folk art, which expresses the folkways of a plain society. Édouard Manet's Le Dejeuner Sur l'Herbe remains a relevant artwork that impacted society negatively when viewed through a non-analytical perspective.
References
Fried, M. (1996). Manet's Modernism or, The Face of Painting in the 1860s. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Wanda, C.M. (1994). The Art of Andrew Wyeth . Greenwich, Conn.: New York Graphic Society.
