Image Gallery
The Balcony by Manet
An 1868-9 oil on canvas painting, The Balcony, by Edouard Manet (1832-83), the French modernist painter. Manet liked intimate scenes with a very tight focus which presented sometimes more theatre than realism. Here, three figures stand, or rather, pose, on a balcony with their relationship left a mystery. They all look in different directions. Manet expertly uses colour, contrasting the dark interior behind the figures with white clothing and the turquoise of the shutters and railings. The boy serving drinks behind them is likely Manet's unrecognised son, Léon-Edouard. The figure on the leftt is the impressionist painter Berthe Morisot. (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.
