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ART Appreciation "class" #1: Manet and Homer
5/25/05 | republicanprofessor

Posted on 05/25/2005 6:27:04 AM PDT by Republicanprofessor

Well, now that exams are over, grades are in, I’d like to bring some Art Appreciation ideas to Free Republic. Unfortunately, as artists have become more and more abstract, it really does take some study and/or education to understand what their ideas are. One doesn’t always need a snotty PhD art historian to do so, however. Once a person learns how to look at artworks, one can make one’s own decisions about form and content. (One can't just "appreciate" the blue in a painting to really understand what the painting is about.)

Form and content: that’s what I emphasize in all my classes. What is the artist trying to say and what forms (colors, lines, shapes, etc.) does he use to convey that message? Another fun thing about abstraction is that different people can have different interpretations, that the pieces can work on different levels. I’m hoping we can have some fun discussions here on FR about these works. (I didn’t “get” all this stuff right away; I’ve been studying it for decades.)

So, here goes.

The camera was invented in 1839. While I am not going to deal with the history of photography, what’s important is that at this point artists are freed to go beyond realism. The camera can take normal portraits and all kinds of realistic images. The artists can begin to explore abstraction.

In the late nineteenth century, Maurice Denis said this “A picture--before it is a a war horse, a female nude, or some anecdote, is essentially a flat surface covered with colors in a particular order.” Thus the artist is now free to do what he wants on the painting. Whistler won a court battle for this at the end of the nineteenth century.

So let’s begin with Eduoard Manet (1832-1883) Here is his Olympia 1863 in contrast to the older (more realistic) image of Titian’s Venus of Urbino from the early sixteenth century.

Can you see the differences between these? What has Manet done to update Titian? He’s made the lady flatter and bolder; she is definitely a prostitute, and a rather successful one at that (judging by the flowers from an admirer).

Manet is a part of the movement called Realism from about 1860-75 or so. This includes Courbet, but I’m going to spare you his more socialist works. This does not mean that the works look “realistic,” but that they are exploring a new, more modern and flattened style of realism. What is real in this world? That question is discussed in this famous work by Manet, Dejeuner sur l’Herbe (Luncheon on the Grass) which is another reworking of another Venetian Renaissance work, this time by Giorgione Pastoral Symphony.

Manet Dejeuner and Giorgione's Pastoral Symphony

Notice that, in the earlier painting, these ladies are not prostitutes. Notice also, in Giorgione’s work on the right, that those men are not even paying attention to these ladies. That’s because the women are muses. The large, golden size is inspiring to the men as they compose music; one woman dips into the well of inspiration, while the other plays a flute-like instrument. This is also one of the first luscious landscapes, with a beautiful golden sky typical of artists from Venice.

Manet’s work has often bothered me. Why the larger, dressed woman who is bathing in the background? She actually completes a compositional triangle that has been seen frequently in art history. The other woman is blatantly looking at you, and is not looking slyly to the side as in Giorgione’s nudes. She is also not dressed, in contrast to the dressed woman who is bathing. And again the men are not looking at her. Why? One idea that I subscribe to is that the men (who are artists themselves) are discussing how to portray a nude. And one says he would paint her flatly, as if in real light, and not with the veiled allusions of the past. He would paint her directly and “realistically,” and voila, there she is. Manet is also saying that he can do whatever he wants in a painting. That means he can play with our heads, just like he does here and at the Bar at the Folies-Bergere.

Now I want to end by looking at Winslow Homer (1836-1910) our great American painter from the end of the nineteenth century and a contemporary of Manet. Manet has a tremendous world-wide reputation, but Homer is seen more regionally. But what do you think? Who is better?

Homer’s The Gale and Fog Warning

Perhaps Homer just appeals to me because I’m a New Englander, and I love the ocean and think he captures that life and death struggle of the ocean very well. I also like the way the “stories” of his paintings are open-ended. Will her husband return from the sea? Will the fisherman make it back to his boat?

These works will always move me more than Manet. And both men have a wonderful way with the brush. Things look nicely detailed from a distance, but up close you see just a sweep of a brush here and there. That brushwork, what we call painterly, is even more important in Impressionism and thereafter.


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: appreciation; art; artappreciation; homer; manet
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To: KC_Conspirator
"I am also wondering: do you see these works as pornographic?"

A larger question would be: Can we see the beginning of European decadence and decline in their choice of subject matter? One notices that the American artists of the same period do not limit themselves to "nekkid ladies" and seldom do they seek to shock their audience.

21 posted on 05/25/2005 7:19:47 AM PDT by Liberty Wins (Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of all who threaten it.)
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To: Republicanprofessor

I teach Art and Music Appreciation at a local technical college. My first lecture is a paraphrase of the federal jurist's comments about pornography...you can't really define good art but you know it when you see it. I send my students to visit local galleries and art exhibits and write about what piece or pieces they liked. I have had many students who had never seriously visited an art gallery before come back and write how moved they were by a ceratin piece and were surprised how much they enjoyed seeing serious art for the first time.


22 posted on 05/25/2005 7:21:33 AM PDT by The Great RJ
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To: Republicanprofessor
Maurice Denis said this “A picture--before it is a a war horse, a female nude, or some anecdote, is essentially a flat surface covered with colors in a particular order.”

He’s made the lady flatter and bolder

more modern and flattened style of realism

And one says he would paint her flatly, as if in real light,

Does the word "flat" have different meanings. I understand the first use of the word ("essentially a flat surface"), but I'm not sure I follow its usage through the rest of it.

Other than the obvious, what does "flat" mean?

23 posted on 05/25/2005 7:23:02 AM PDT by samtheman
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To: Liberty Wins

You might indicate that. However, at one time beginning hundreds of years earlier the artists thought there was a beauty to painting nudes. That did not go out of style. However, with these more modern day paintings of nudes in the park with fully clothed men, you might have a point.


24 posted on 05/25/2005 7:23:41 AM PDT by KC_Conspirator (This space outsourced to India)
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To: TheBigB

Excellent post, could I be put on your ping list?


25 posted on 05/25/2005 7:29:18 AM PDT by thirst4truth
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To: Republicanprofessor
Nice primer on some basics. I quite agree on the works of Homer being superior. Again, the much more dynamic composition, suggesting the power of the sea, is strongly supported by Homer's triangular composition. The diagonal masses denote motion much more successfully than the essentially horizontal and vertical lines in the "Picnic on the Lawn". Only Manet's forced and out of place bather makes the triangle, whereas Homer's flow from the natural occurrences of the subject.

Perhaps the triangular composition could be the subject for another discussion. A good example would be Goya's "3rd of May" or Picasso's "Guernica". Also, a comparison of Goya's Maja's to "Olympia".
26 posted on 05/25/2005 7:30:28 AM PDT by LexBaird ("Democracy can withstand anything but democrats" --Jubal Harshaw (RA Heinlein))
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To: Republicanprofessor
Please add me to your ping list.

Personally, I like the older, more realistic style better. Particularly in the Titian example. It seems to me that the more realistic the viewer's overall impression is, the greater the artist's skill. I.e., Titian exhibits more artistic skill than Manet, Manet exhibits more skill than Van Gogh, Van Gogh exhibits more than Picasso, Picasso exhibits more than Jackson Pollack.

Caveat: I am basing this on my impressions of their works most familiar to me; it's entirely possible, for instance that Picasso had an artistic ability greater than any of the others, but (IMO) did not employ it much in his more famous pieces.

Also note that by 'realistic' I don't mean to disparage surreal works like Magritte's, just that whatever content there is looks better with realistic textures, shadows, perspective, etc.

Not sure about the pornographic issue.

27 posted on 05/25/2005 7:31:06 AM PDT by Sloth (I don't post a lot of the threads you read; I make a lot of the threads you read better.)
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To: Republicanprofessor

Well, this may not be the "great discussion" you're looking for, but I'll say, "Art is cool!" :)

My Grandpa had "Fog Warning" on his wall for decades. He also liked Andrew Wyeth, and I inherited his print of "Groundhog Day," which I love.

I don't know much about art, but I'm looking forward to your views on the Impressionists, as I love that style of painting. I also like Sargent, so hopefully you can get to him, too?


28 posted on 05/25/2005 7:31:51 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (Save The Earth. It's The Only Planet With Chocolate.)
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To: Republicanprofessor

I tend to like Homer better than Monet myself. There is a regionalism and reality to Homer's work that seems richer than Manet/s work. Manet's work, such as Olympia is indeed very important as it breaks certain taboos about representation.


29 posted on 05/25/2005 7:35:33 AM PDT by finnman69 (cum puella incedit minore medio corpore sub quo manifestus globus, inflammare animos)
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To: Bluegrass Conservative

Nudes prior to Olympia were either muses or portrayed as coy. In Olympia the woman is staring directly at the viewer. She is not shy at all, and is a prostitute.


30 posted on 05/25/2005 7:36:54 AM PDT by finnman69 (cum puella incedit minore medio corpore sub quo manifestus globus, inflammare animos)
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To: Republicanprofessor

Thank you! I feel like a learned a few things today.


31 posted on 05/25/2005 7:40:59 AM PDT by iceskater ("Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind." - Kipling)
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To: AnAmericanMother

Fabulous! Thanks for posting those.

I, myself, am taking classes in watercolor. If I could paint like that.....


32 posted on 05/25/2005 7:42:15 AM PDT by iceskater ("Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind." - Kipling)
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To: samtheman
Other than the obvious, what does "flat" mean?

He may be referring to how the lighting is idealized in the earlier works. Single source light, such as direct sun, flattens the shadows. To model a subject, multiple sources of light will backfill and bring definition. Usually, this is a "key light" of reflected light, coming from the side and rear.

33 posted on 05/25/2005 7:42:21 AM PDT by LexBaird ("Democracy can withstand anything but democrats" --Jubal Harshaw (RA Heinlein))
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To: Republicanprofessor
Manny:

Homer:

You're making this way too complicated. Plus, you don't even know how to spell "Manny". I think you did that on purpose, just for a highbrow excuse to post the naked chick pictures (even though most of them are kinda chunky). ;-)

34 posted on 05/25/2005 7:50:39 AM PDT by Luddite Patent Counsel ("Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others." - Groucho Marx)
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To: Republicanprofessor

I like Homer's energy and motion--- you can almost feel the waves and the whip of the wind.

Manet has a stark realism that comes off as a bit brutal in a way. Like you just walked up and caught someone unaware, and not in a good way, totally.

The older paintings have a soft blur to them that makes them seem dreamlike and sweet. Like you are peeking through guazey window sheers.

None of the paintings appear pornographic to me. I did get a bit of "Oh my! They all have my hips and tummy! WHO'S BEEN IN MY BATHROOM!" in my gut reaction. ;)

Ah, as for the first woman being a prostitute, she's wearing heels in bed. ;)




35 posted on 05/25/2005 7:51:27 AM PDT by najida (www.lotusdance.com/GreenAcres.html)
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To: LexBaird

Makes sense. Thanks.


36 posted on 05/25/2005 7:53:49 AM PDT by samtheman
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To: Republicanprofessor

Yes, and a funny thing.

My son is enrolled in a Western Humanities online course for the summer semester.

He has all kinds of links to site in his course material, and the other day he was pulling up pictures of "Rubenesque" figures.

I glanced over at the screen and said, "Now those are my kind of women." He laughed.

We live not far from the Ringling Art Museum. They have a wonderful collection of Rubens.


37 posted on 05/25/2005 8:10:28 AM PDT by dawn53
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To: Republicanprofessor
Republican:
Would you please add me to your ping list when you get to Charlie Russell and Friedrich Remington. These are two of the best in my estimation. Not being one of the "elete" I appreciate "Art" that I enjoy, and these two great artists represent that to me.
I appreciate you putting this on Free Republic, even though this is not a forum for this type of input. We all learn from eachother and I hope many happy moments are observed by others on the paintings you have submitted.

Have a good day, and the very best to you and yours.

Semper Fi
Tommie

38 posted on 05/25/2005 8:11:54 AM PDT by Texican (USMC 1942-1946 Once a MARINE always a MARINE)
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To: Republicanprofessor
Interesting subject! Although I like Manet well enough, I probably really prefer the Titian. There is more individual textural detail in Manet but more sheer beauty and elegant composition in Titian. That said, I would take Homer over Manet also.

Homer's subject matter is something I can relate to even if I live about as far from a sea as possible. Homer has much better composition and even though there is often less detail to his work, there is a tremendous sense of movement or vigor.

None of these examples are pornographic. Like everybody else, I not sure how to define it. I guess that sexuality is more or less incidental in these pieces. We aren't focused on blatant arousal and the artists aren't urging or inviting us to be aroused. We are more interested in the prostitute for herself than her profession.

Please add me to the list, it seems like it will be an interesting discussion!
39 posted on 05/25/2005 8:12:21 AM PDT by Gingersnap
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To: Republicanprofessor

Cool post. Do you have a ping list for future lectures? I'd like to be on it.


40 posted on 05/25/2005 8:21:15 AM PDT by TX Bluebonnet
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