Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Manet, in his last major painting, places us in the center of the scene, surrounded with
glitter. Reflected in the mirror, the gaiety all looks a bit fake, and, judging from her blank
expression, that's the way the barmaid sees it.
• To the left is...
Edouard Manet—
Le Dejeuner sur l'Herbe
(c. 1863-1868)
This is a smaller, cruder version Manet did of his famous painting (now in Paris' Orsay
Museum, pictured here) that launched the Impressionist revolution. The nude woman in a
classical pose wasn't shocking. It was the presence of the fully clothed men in everyday
dress that suddenly made the nude naked. Manet and the Impressionists rejected goddesses
and romance for the landscapes, café scenes, and still lifes of the real world.
• Sometimes this room also contains a famous sculpture.
Edgar Degas—
Study in the Nude for Dressed Ballet Dancer
(1879-1917)
The naked 14-year-old girl splays her feet out (fourth position), bends her arms back, and
turns her face up, exuding the sheer joy of dancing. Like a stripped Barbie doll, this is a
