Artwork of the Day
It has been a while since I posted an artwork of the day, of course, but I am going be more diligent about it! Art is such an important part of my life, and it will be vital for this blog. So, without further ado, I bring you today's featured artwork:
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| Édouard Manet, Le déjeuner sur l'herbe (Luncheon on the Grass), oil on canvas, 1863 (Musée d'Orsay, Paris) |
Luncheon on the Grass, specifically, is very important to me as an art historian and as a woman. Its history is rich and I find it beautiful aesthetically! The contrast between the fully clothed men, the nude (and clothed) women, and the rural setting are memorizing qualities - drawing you in inexplicably as the landscape seems to be moving -- the composition, to me, with its layered qualities yet lack of depth, does not feel anchored. I could go deeper into the techniques and art historical analysis, but I will move on.
I traveled to Paris with my father and with my boyfriend, Nick, a couple years ago. I was half through college, and already immersed in my passion for art history. This painting always stuck out for me, especially when Blair Waldorf named it as her favorite on Gossip Girl. And we all know how much I abide by the opinions of Queen B.
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| Season Four, Episode One, Belles de Jour, 2010 |
I was dying to take a similar picture as I swooned over the painting myself, but Musee D'Orsay does not allow photography in their galleries, boo! Nick snuck this shot of me, how sweet!
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| I'm the cutie on the far left, the one in the purple raincoat with the overgrown pixie. |
Anytime I personally view a piece of art that I've studied and learned about, I get butterflies. It is amazing to see an image in a book, slide lecture, and on a study flashcard, but to see it in person is just so gratifying to me. I'm a romantic like that, and to see this piece of unattainable history is fantastic. But there is something else about Manet's painted scene that really speaks to me, and it didn't really hit me until recently: I look like that woman! The muse, staring us straight in the eye, she looks like me! It's not just because she has brown hair and wears its like I do, but it is her skin and eye color and most of all, her figure! She isn't perfect; it looks like she has generous lady curves and she isn't sitting in the most flattering way, but she owns it! She doesn't care that she is butt naked in the grass, letting it all hang out. She looks directly at the viewer with almost a smirk on her face to invite us in (or make us feel like an outsider, I'm still not sure about that). I just love her confidence.
I won't get too far into this discussion, as I am working on piece on this topic for Obvi, We're The Ladies, an amazing blog founded by my childhood pals -- seriously check out the amazing posts, and I don't want to spoil it. But it is just so interesting to me that most of my favorite artists used female models that weren't what people today in 2014 would consider as the ideal woman - these models were without botox, plastic surgery, or Zumba. I'll post a link to my post on Obvi once it has been published, and we can continue on the dialogue here. It is just so fascinating to me! But most importantly, I feel much more beautiful knowing that I look like a woman who could be in a classical or modern painting - it is somehow super refreshing, putting a new spin on my body image. Look through an art history book, my friends, and you could find this renewed sense of beauty within yourself, too!
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