Édouard Manet’s Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe: A Study
Édouard Manet’s Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe: A Study
The Painting
We are facing a figurative oil painting on canvas from 1865. Presented at the Paris Salon in autumn, the artwork, originally titled Le Bain (The Bath), was rejected and caused controversy. The painting depicts a forest scene with two men in contemporary attire conversing with a woman while another woman bathes naked in a stream. A still life picnic is interposed between the viewer and the nude model.
There is a flat, stage-like quality to the landscape, presented almost as a decoration. Only the still life adheres to the traditional view expected by the painter. The figures are abruptly cut off, and the composition lacks unity, appearing closed and flat. The viewpoint is at the surface and foreground where the still life appears, contrasting with the distant background plane.
Manet emphasizes the effect of light on objects, achieving atmosphere and environment with varied color values. He applies paint to the canvas with large patches of flat color, juxtaposing light and dark shades without gradations. The surprising use of color creates luminous contrast. He uses pure color and concentrates light in key areas, highlighting contrasts. The use of yellow in the still life against the blue of the background is notable.
Regarding light, chiaroscuro disappears; the bodies lack volume, and there are strong contrasts of light and shadow. Manet invested effort in making the background light seem to emanate from behind. The pictorial front predominates: drawing is not important, and the characters are presented with cut-out shapes and slight brushstrokes. At the bottom of the canvas, Manet uses a modern technique, sketching the form and hinting at depth.
Analysis and Context
Analyzing the work, one discovers a realistic spirit that tries to unite the Renaissance tradition with a renewed realism. This realism is based not on the elimination of the theme but on the way the characters act as a pretext for the color. The work is significant in the formation of Impressionism, with Impressionists considering Manet a guide and precursor to their artistic vanguard.
Impressionism is considered the first contemporary art movement and is the culmination of a pictorial trend uniting vision and light through the use of loose, chromatic brushstrokes. Its antecedents can be found in Renaissance painters (Leonardo), Baroque (Velázquez), and 18th and 19th-century artists like Goya. The developing sciences of the time postulated a new attitude towards reality, and the Impressionist painter was committed to finding the true visual experience.
Characteristics of Impressionism:
- The theory of colors: Instead of merging colors on the canvas, the viewer’s eye must do so.
- The coloring of shadows: Shadows are no longer black.
- The depiction of light: Objects are only depicted to the extent that light hits them.
- The use of brushwork: Loose and rapid, with thick, pasty stains and juxtaposed touches of light colors.
- Spontaneous compositions with original viewing angles.
Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe and its Impact
Outdoor painting workshops were becoming popular, fleeing the studio and focusing on subjects like landscapes, dances, and regattas (e.g., Claude Monet). This represented a break from academicism. Manet’s work created a stir due to the nudity of a woman accompanied by two clothed men. The artist based the scene on a swimming outing on the Seine during a stay with Victorine Meurent in Argenteuil. The protagonist is accompanied by Manet’s own brother Eugène and the Dutch sculptor Ferdinand Leenhoff.
The nude woman looks directly at the observer while sitting next to the clothed men, unlike traditional depictions where nudity is idealized. The viewer becomes a voyeur. Manet criticizes the social hypocrisy of the time with this work. Japanese prints, with their flattened and stylized forms, were a new art form entering Europe and influenced Manet. Their impact on the Impressionists is evident in their preference for painting outdoors.
Manet’s paintings are original, with large areas of color and an emphasis on the picture plane. He contributed to breaking free from conventional limitations in painting and carried out an aesthetic revolution. Picasso later revisited this scene.
19th Century Europe and the Rise of Realism
The history of Europe in the 19th century evolved with the Industrial Revolution and French developments. The appearance of the proletariat changed European life. Realism emerged as a movement highlighting social commitment. Artists like Courbet, influenced by a bourgeois family, carefully painted everyday life. His work Olympia provoked scandal. Spanish artists were fascinated by his work, seen in prints, and his techniques.
The Industrial Revolution brought a new rhythm to life, and inventions allowed for the expansion of progress. This progress raised the economy and created widespread well-being. However, the artist’s social status diminished. Painting became a precursor to Impressionism. The failure of the 1870 Salon gave new prominence to artists’ lives. The boundaries between Impressionism and Realism blurred, with no clear historical or conceptual distinction established.