The paintings of Edouard Manet (1832-1883) have fascinated me for about sixty years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now I want to find out: Why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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After a career as a professor of sociology and social gerontology, I am engaging now in a new field of interest as an artist and blogger about art – especially on Edouard Manet and figurative art.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Especially, the painting Luncheon on the Grass<\/em><\/strong> is puzzling me \u2013 as well as countless other viewers. So, I started some research reading about it, but my question was not answered \u2013 I found new questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this blog, I want to share my inquiry into Manet: the experience and insights I gained from reading others and the first results from exploring his paintings with diagrams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The blog is about My Manet<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 since it is a very personal view, it covers not all of Manet\u2019s work, and is not the view of an art expert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The blog is about Your Manet<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 because I would very much like to discuss my view and learn about your view on Manet, whether you are an art expert or not. So, feel encouraged to send me your comments!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The blog is not only about \u201ctheory\u201d \u2013 about what causes our interest in Manet\u2019s art. The blog is also about \u201cpractice\u201d \u2013 since I want to explore Manet in my own painting revitalizing a life-long hobby (on-and-off, since I had \u201cbetter things to do\u201d). The blog is even about \u201cmethod\u201d \u2013 in the sense that I want to develop the diagrams further as we go along.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I will start the blog by presenting an installation about Manet\u2019s Luncheon on the Grass<\/em> which I prepared for a local art exhibition in January, 2021 \u2013 see page \u201cInstallation My Manet\u201d and a video in \u201cMy Gallery\u201d. And then we go from there:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In regular<\/em> posts, I will pick up questions which are raised by this first presentation of My Manet, by your comments, and in reviews of the literature (\u201cMy Reading of \u2026\u201d). The posts will also widen the theme to include other paintings of Manet, other painters influenced by Manet, and examples in contemporary figurative painting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On dedicated<\/em> pages, I will summarize and consolidate the on-going inquiry in sections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a personal<\/em> gallery, we will collect related paintings or drawings found in the literature, produced on the way by myself, or even contributed by you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before we enter the discussion, it might be helpful to clarify my starting point:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My interest goes back to my teenage years in the early \u201860ies\u2013 about a hundred years after Manet created the painting in 1863! The little ink drawings below date from the early \u201880ies, about hundred years after Manet\u2019s death.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFigure: Sketches of Faces after Manet<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Many art historians agree that Modern Art started with Manet \u2013 but I knew little about art history when I first encountered the painting and could not appreciate their \u201crevolutionary\u201d character. So my fascination must have other reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Art critics have published a wealth of literature on the social and historical context of Manet\u2019s time \u2013 but in my youth I was not interested in social history or the emergence of \u201cThe Painting of Modern Life\u201d (Clark), and Manet certainly did not incite any political interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fascination must have arisen from the painting itself \u2013 but what was I \u201cseeing\u201d or \u201cseeing-in\u201d the painting? Formal aesthetic qualities seemed to have little impact. Actually, I liked other painters more (Vlaminck, Matisse), although my favourites changed over the years. Many critics claim that Manet shows problems with composition, especially, in his earlier works. I found this somehow unconvincing. Then a few years ago, in some antiquarian bookshop, I ran into Bild und Blick in Manets Malerei<\/em> (Picture and Gaze in Manet\u2019s Painting) by Michael L\u00fcthy<\/strong> (<\/em>2003).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This got me started! The secret was hidden in the way Manet created social relations through the gazes of people, both inside the painting and with people outside the painting. Unfortunately (in my mother\u2019s eyes), it turned out that I had more interest in social relations then in finding ways to paint them. So, I chose a professional life in sociology \u2013 and only now, many years later, I revitalize my interest in My Manet<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you want to join me in my journey \u2013 or simply comment on my view on Manet \u2013 you are invited to follow my posts and browse through the content pages and the gallery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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