Art a la Carte

1

Manet and the Birth of the Avant-Garde

• Art a la Carte
• Rebels and Revolutions
• Seventh GradeLesson Three

2

It was one long-drawn out explosion of
laughter, rising in intensity to hysteriaA group
of young men on the opposite side of the room
were writhing as if their ribs were being
tickled. One woman had collapsed on to a bench,
her knees pressed tightly together, gasping,
struggling to regain her breath. Have you ever
been laughed at in public? How did that make
you feel?
This is an actual description of how the public
reacted when they saw Manets Luncheon on the
Grass for the first time
3

Edouard Manet (1832 1883)

• Manets works were in rebellion of the idealized
  Classical style.
• Manet depicted ordinary, everyday aspects of
  Parisian life.
• Manets Luncheon on the Grass was the cause for
  the first Salon of Refusals.

4

Edouard Manet (1832 1883)

• Why do you think this painting was rejected by
  the Salon judges?
• How is this painting different from Classical
  painting?
• Do you think people today still find this
  painting as funny as they did in 1863? Why or
  why not?
• How would the painting change if the woman were
  clothed? Why?

Luncheon on the Grass (1863), Manet
5

Edouard Manet (1832 1883)

• What do you think Manet is trying to convey in
  this painting?
• How do you think this painting depicts the
  ordinary aspects of everyday life in Paris?

A Bar at the Folies-Bergeres (1881-1882), Manet
6

Compare and Contrast
Luncheon on the Grass (1863), Manet
The Judgment of Paris (1488-1530), Raimondi

• What is it that makes these two works so
  different? How are they similar?
• How is Manets use of nudity different from the
  Classical style that Raimondi depicts?
• Why do you think Manet would want to use
  classical images (or idealized forms) as his
  basis for new paintings?

7

Who painted which painting?
In 1538, Titian painted one of these paintings in
the Classical style. In 1863, Manet painted the
other painting in rebellion of the Classical
style. Which artist painted which painting? Why
do you say that?
8

Who painted which painting?
Manet Olympia (1863)
Titian Venus of Urbino (1538)

• What characteristics of each work lead you to
  determine the identity of the artist?

9
Why do you think Manet continued creating work
that was considered so distasteful by so many
people? How is Manets style on the cutting
edge, or avant-garde?