The Compositional Freedom Of The Luncheon On The Grass By Édouard Manet
To start off, I chose to talk about one of the most famous masterpieces oil on canvas paintings in Paris. "The Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe" (The Luncheon On The grass) Painted by Édouard Manet. Despite the artistic work the artist is trying to show, I personally find this painting extremely interesting, but this painting gives me the impression that the artist wasn't actually coping a real scenario as seen by him. It also creates a huge controversy for the fact that the painter puts a naked woman sitting next to 2 men. For this reason, I could imagine how it could have affect the mentality of the viewer in that generation, hence not understanding the imagine or message it's try to deliver. It also interest me how the artist reacted to such critic to his art work. 1862-63, Manet was rejected by the Salon jury of the exhibited Le déjeuner sur l’herbe with the title " Le Bain at the Salon des Refusés" (started the same year by Napoléon III).
This painting created a lot of attraction, for the fact that it generated both laughter and scandal. I think Édouard Manet knew he was doing something to develop the mentality in that generation but also delivering a message, proving that the artist can also be free in his way of picturing such scenario in his head. People also criticised the way he used his brush, I frankly agree with that. He not try to hide the brush strokes, while it also seems to be incomplete in some parts of it.
The undressed woman Victorine-Louise Meurent (Manet's favourite model) seems to be so relaxed and pleasantly calm created discomfort to the viewer. Also for the fact that the people knew who the models in the picture were. Looking deeply into the painting you I could actually tell that the nude woman is brighter and there's a lot going on with the rendering. Looks like the woman is filled with excessive lighting, with a slight shadow round her chest and tights. This woman gives me the impression that it came out very flat, so much that the painting itself might have lost the sense of three dimension. The expression of her face gave me the impression as I'm being invited to join them. By that I also agree by the way the majority of people thought. The nude lady is also painted having her legs between the legs of the man sitting in front of her. To me this is a way of confidence but also attraction. Sitting with the lady at the picnic scene, 2 dressed men (his brother and his future brother in law) were also included. At a distance one can actually see that the figure in the background, which I believe it might have been painted slightly too large. Reaching down to the scoop out for the water, she showing that she trying to reach out for one of the men's thumb.
Édouard Manet was inspired by the renaissance theme and that's why he was sure of what he really wanted to do. I believe that despite being refused and criticised, he understood the traditional art in copied at the Louvre but his compositional freedom was misunderstood.
