The Bar at the Folies Bergère, 1882
By Edouard Manet
The Bar at the Folies
Bergère was Edouard Manet's last painting,
and it holds much insight into late 19th century French Society through a liberallymodern viewpoint. This painting, in disparity with The
Departure of Folkestone Boat, does not focus on the technological shift towards
modernity, but that of the social tensions between the classes. Although in some
of his other paintings he emphasizes the sense of community in France, according
to this painting, the feeling of the June Days has not
totally subsided.
One possible point of the painting is that in the eyes of the working class, the
bourgeoisie is a chilling apparition that is out to take advantage of the lower
class. This can be inferred by the dark and scary man in the upper right corner
as well as the look of wide-eyed terror on the bar maid's face. This may be implying
the lower classes' distaste for the deemed insignificant bourgeoisie.
On the other hand
it could be a look of terror directed at the viewer of the painting, causing the
message to be aimed towards the aristocracy or the bourgeoisie,
whoever happens to be looking at the painting. The painting is basically saying
"Look at us… What we represent, what we have become."
The painting portrays
a scene from one of the bars that is the result of the rise
of the bourgeoisie, a development that judging by this painting is not one
that is good for all of the classes in France. This painting shows the perspective
of the lower class that was ignored during the 19th century. The style of the
painting reflects this, and while the bar maid is very detailed the bourgeoisie
lounging in the background are only splotches of paint, symbolizing the shifting
artistic focus from the bourgeoisie and the portraits of the aristocracy to the
lower class. This focus on the lower class shows the same modernly
liberal point of view as seen in The
Departure of Folkestone Boat.
Manet acknowledges
that he is trying to show a liberal point of view when
he speaks with Alexandre Cabanel. He says "I only speak the truth."2
This can be interpreted that he is using his paintings to speak and that the truth
is not the story written by the winners as described on the homepage,
but the story of the working class. Manet is telling
the world through his art that liberal views are important because the time of
the people and of democracy has come to France.
