This was the first of many times that Berthe Morisot, a well known impressionist painter, would model for Manet; she is the seated woman. Shown at the 1869 Salon, this piece was not received with warmth, but rather shock at the unconventional approach Manet took in the creation of the painting. The boldly contrasting colors were seen as aggressive; the shocking white of the women’s dressed against the near black of the background, the mint green which almost seems to glow, etc. Many of the avant-garde paintings of this era were narrative, the viewer can piece the story of the painting together in their mind; however, here the painting seems quite frozen, cut off from any larger narrative. Manet broke himself, and subsequently the Impressionists who were inspired by his work, free from the constraints of traditional art, not always to thunderous applause, but certainly in the eyes of art history, he is one of the Greats.

SKU: 63093
Creator: Edouard Manet
Date: 1868-1869
Original Medium: oil on canvas
Original Size: 66.9 x 49 in.
Location: Musée d’Orsay, Paris