The Departure of the Folkestone Boat, 1869
By Edouard Manet

[Picture, The Departure of the Folkestone Boat - Edouard Manet, 1869]The Departure of the Folkestone Boat - Edouard Manet, 1869

           The Departure of the Folkestone Boat, painted by Edouard Manet, exhibits the change of the focus of society from that of the revolutionary years of mid 19th century to that of technological advancement of the late 19th century. The ideas of the industrial revolution and the age of enlightenment are themselves modern terms. This painting paints the perfect picture of society, incorporating both the state of class structure as well as the technological advancement.
           The fact that the painting is dominated by a steamboat is itself homage to the industrial revolution taking place in France. There is a parallel relationship between the painting and mid 19th century society in France: technology is at the center of both. The enlightenment reshaped French society as the French knew it, and it changed the focus of art in a similar way. The Departure of the Folkstone Boat was one of the first paintings to show this shift. Many other artists followed Manet's lead and steamboats and trains began to become the center of attention in many paintings, with the artist giving their respective opinion on the technology through the duality reflected by the avant-garde. This painting is obviously a celebration of the technology and the benefits of convenient transportation it will afford the lower class and the bourgeoisie.
           The group of people congregating on and around the boat show an explicit contrast from the previous paintings in which members of the bourgeoisie and lower class congregated, such as Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People. The viewer of this painting gets a sense of community and peace from the painting, instead of that of destruction and chaos as seen in the paintings of the revolutions during the first half of the century. The fact that one of the focuses of the painting is the people and not the aristocracy alone shows that the painting is modern in the fact that it is a liberal view of society.

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