A naked woman surrounded by dressed men, a frank distortion of perspective, a bullfinch in a summer landscape — what is the meaning of these ridiculous details and techniques that shock the viewer? Psychoanalyst Andrey Rossokhin and art historian Maria Revyakina examine the painting and tell what they saw.
Manet painted a painting for an exhibition at the Paris Salon. A strict jury rejected her, but the work received notoriety. Already at first glance, it seems that the author’s goal is to shock the viewer, destroying all ideas about contemporary painting.
Nude nature was often found in the works of Manet’s contemporaries, but only gods and other «celestials» were depicted in this way. Manet makes heroes not just ordinary people, but recognizable contemporaries: Victorina Meuran, a model who often posed for the artist, her brother Gustav and future brother-in-law, Ferdinand Leenhoff.
To unravel the artist’s intention, consider the details.
1. Coastline
Andrey Rossokhin: The coastline clearly divides the picture into two planes. The first plan is frankly decorative. Three figures, a dark forest — it all looks like a drawing on a curtain that closes the stage. More precisely, what happens in the background. There we see a girl who bathes in the river, a road leading into the distance, and space. This distant plan is more lively, colorful. It looks like a fantasy or a dream, because all the usual proportions are violated there. Obviously, the size of the boat and the river itself must be much larger than the figure.
2. Figures of the central plan
Maria Revyakina: We see a naked woman and two intelligently dressed men who are having a conversation. The figures are too close to each other. The author enhances this feeling by using the technique of «compressed» perspective, in which objects appear much closer to each other. But at the same time, there is some kind of invisible border between men and women, they do not interact.
When drawing a female figure, Manet chose the tones so that she looks flat, while the male figures are voluminous. They also differ in color. I think that through these contrasts, playing with perspective and distortion of perception, the artist wanted to touch on the topic of gender inequality, the norms of male and female behavior accepted in his contemporary society.
Andrey Rossokhin: Black formal suits against the background of wild nature look just as unnatural as a naked female figure against the background of dressed men. Men are totally closed and intellectual, although everyone seems to demonstrate sexuality. One of them holds his hand behind the woman’s back, emphasizing that this is his property. The second secretly lays claim to her, as evidenced by the rather aggressive gesture of his hand, cane and open legs. But all this is superficial, false sexuality, decoration of living life.
If you cover the naked body of a woman with your hand, you will see a typical family portrait of the late XNUMXth century in front of you. It reflects outwardly decent, but dispassionate relationships in which there are no feelings, games, warmth.
3. Nude woman
Maria Revyakina: The figure of a naked woman looks too light, bright, and the author enhances this “glow”, surrounding her with dark tones, forcing her to “protrude” from the picture. She defiantly looks directly at the viewer. At the same time, men do not look at either her or the viewer, and this reads a certain lack of sexuality. It is curious that there is evidence from contemporaries that Quiz Myoran, the artist’s model, was of non-traditional sexual orientation. Perhaps the artist tried to touch on the topic of forbidden sexuality, condemned by society.
Andrey Rossokhin: Her body is naked, but there is no eroticism here. There is something cold, false in the unnaturally white skin tone, distinctly different from the warm skin tone of the girl in the background. The woman’s body is almost the same color as the collars of the men’s shirts. It resembles a porcelain figurine, an attribute of a man. Only one face is alive in her, because the woman’s gaze is not actually directed at us. She sees the young girl she once was, lost in those childhood fantasies.
4. Girl in the background
Maria Revyakina: The artist violates the laws of perspective and deliberately distorts our perception of space: the figure of a woman depicted in the background seems too large, she is much larger than a boat and a river; her hand almost touches the hand of the man depicted in the center of the picture.
Andrey Rossokhin: The girl is like Alice, who suddenly found herself in Wonderland. Her figure is full of life. With her left hand, the girl touches the dress with which she covers her vagina. This gesture means, on the one hand, a ban on erotic fantasies, and on the other hand, on the contrary, their kindling.
5. Still life
Andrey Rossokhin: There is something chaotic about the scattered fruit, bottle and clothes depicted at the bottom of the canvas, all of which seems to indicate rough sex. But the figures of people are emphatically removed from this part of the picture. The heroes did not even touch the bread and fruit. It is as if all the pleasures of life, which food and sex represent, are rejected by them, rejected.
6. Bullfinch
Andrey Rossokhin: The bullfinch is a winter bird, in the summer landscape it looks at least strange. It is located at the top of the picture, as if on the border of two worlds. Its presence emphasizes the fantasy of the world «behind the curtain» and at the same time speaks of the emotional coldness that reigns in the decorative world. Real sexuality is dead here, frozen. This coldness is emphasized by the black and white clothes of the men and the white body of the woman.
Rebellion of the artist
Maria Revyakina: The main idea of the work is mockery, rebellion of the artist, opposition to the official art of his time. By the illogicality of the picture (a strange plot, a violation of the laws of perspective, a combination of various painting techniques, etc.), the artist shows the meaninglessness of modern art and says that there are topics much more important than the generally accepted classical ones — such as sexuality or inequality between men and women.
Andrey Rossokhin: In the picture, which, at first glance, is intended to shock the audience, it is actually about the fate of a woman of the XNUMXth century. She is forced to play a certain social role and live a false ceremonial life. And only in fantasies does she imagine herself to be that sensual girl and grieve about missed opportunities, pleasure, happiness. And, probably, she regrets that she did not go in search of something else — along that bright road leading into the distance.