Image Gallery
Lunch on the Grass by Manet
An 1863 oil on canvas painting, Lunch on the Grass (Déjeuner sur l’herbe), by Edouard Manet (1832-83), the French modernist painter. This painting shocked the art world when displayed in the Salon des Refusés for placing a nude female figure amongst contemporary dressed men. Clearly a courtesan, the woman's frank stare at the viewer, the obvious brushstrokes, and bright colouring all further annoyed critics who missed Manet's reuse of a group composition from Renaissance art. Emperor Napoleon III (r. 1852-70) described it as "an offence against modesty." (Musée d'Orsay, Paris)
Bibliography
- Bouruet-Aubertot, Veronique. The Complete Book of Impressionism . Ji Mu Wen Hua, 2020.
- Howard, Michael. Encyclopedia of Impressionism. Thunder Bay Pr, 1997.
- Rubin, James H & Lablanche, Dominique & Manss, Thomas. Impressionism A&I . Phaidon Press, 1999.
- Thomson, Belinda. Impressionism. Thames & Hudson, 2022.
Questions & Answers
How did Impressionism change the art world?
- Impressionism changed the art world because it changed the focus to everyday subjects rather than religious and mythological ones. Impressionist painters also used brighter colours and focussed on capturing momentary scenes of light or human activity.
What is the most famous Impressionist painting?
- Today, probably the most famous impressionist painting is Water Lilies by Claude Monet.
Which Impressionist went blind?
- Claude Monet was an impressionist painter who almost went blind. His sight deteriorated so much he could not distinguish colours or shapes for his work without special glasses and, eventually, an operation.
What changes did post impressionist paintings show?
- Post-Impressionist paintings made changes to impressionism, chiefly adding more symbolism and the more dramatic use of contrasting colours,
License & Copyright
First published on WikiArt.org and republished.
Original image by Musée d'Orsay. Uploaded by Mark Cartwright, published on 11 March 2022. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: Public Domain. This item is in the public domain, and can be used, copied, and modified without any restrictions. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.
