''The Luncheon on the Grass''

Édouard Manet, 1862–1863

oil on canvas, 208 × 265.5 cm

Musée d'Orsay

The Luncheon on the Grass (Le déjeuner sur l'herbe), originally titled The Bath (Le Bain), is an oil on canvas painting by Édouard Manet. Painted between 1862 and 1863 it measures 208 by 264.5 cm. The juxtaposition of a female nude with fully dressed men sparked controversy when the work first exhibited at the Salon des Refusés in 1863. The piece is now in the Musée d'Orsay, Paris. Le déjeuner sur lherbe by Edouard Manet, painted in 1862. ... Édouard Manet (portrait by Nadar) Édouard Manet (January 23, 1832 – April 30, 1883) was a French painter. ... 1862 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar). ... Musée dOrsay Exterior view in the afternoon Musée dOrsay Inside the main hall The Musée dOrsay is a museum in Paris, situated on the left bank of the River Seine. ... Édouard Manet (portrait by Nadar) Édouard Manet (January 23, 1832 – April 30, 1883) was a French painter. ... 1862 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar). ... Statue of Venus in the British Museum. ... The Salon des Refusés (Salon of the Rejected) was an art exhibition in Paris. ... 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar). ... Musée dOrsay Exterior view in the afternoon Musée dOrsay Inside the main hall The Musée dOrsay is a museum in Paris, situated on the left bank of the River Seine. ... The Eiffel Tower, the tallest structure in Paris, is an international symbol of the city. ...

Commenting on the work in 1867, Emile Zola wrote: 1867 (MDCCCLXVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... mile Zola (April 2, 1840 - September 29, 1902) was an influential French novelist, the most important example of the literary school of naturalism, and a major figure in the political liberalization of France. ...

"Painters, and especially Édouard Manet, who is an analytic painter, do not share the masses' obsession with the subject: to them, the subject is only a pretext to paint, whereas for the masses only the subject exists."

==Description==Hard copy Assignment. Question 1. MANET In the foreground, three characters are seated on the grass: a naked woman and two men dressed like dandies. The woman, whose body is starkly lit, looks frankly in the direction of the viewer. The man on the right wears a flat hat with a tassel. The men seem to be engaged in conversation, ignoring the woman. In front of them, the clothes of the woman, a basket of fruit and a round loaf of bread are displayed as in a still life. In the background, another woman is draped in an almost transparent cloth, bathing in a small pond. Too large in comparison with the figures in the foreground, she seems to float. The roughly painted background lacks depth — giving the viewer the impression that the scene does not take place outdoors, but in a studio. The impression is reinforced by the use of broad "photographic" light, which casts almost no shadows: in fact, the lighting of the scene is inconsistent and unnatural. The hat the man wears was normally only for indoor use. The word nude may refer to: The state of nudity. ... Sporty Parisian dandies of the 1830s: a girdle was required to achieve this silhouette. ... A still life is a work of art which represents a subject composed of inanimate objects. ...

Manet's wife, Suzanne Leenhoff, and his favorite model, Victorine Meurent, both modelled for the nude woman, which has Meurent's face but the plumper Leenhoff's body. The man on the left is probably Manet's brother-in-law Rodolphe Leenhoff. A model is a person who acts as a human prop for purposes of art, fashion, advertising, pornography, etc. ... Victorine Louise Meurent (1844-1927) was a French model and painter. ...

The style of the painting breaks with the academic traditions of the time. Manet used a harsh, "photographic" light that eliminates the mid-tones. He did not try to hide the brush strokes: indeed, the painting looks unfinished in some parts of the scenery. The nude is a far cry from the smooth, flawless ones of Cabanel or Ingres. Alexandre Cabanel (September 28, 1823 - January 23, 1889) was a painter born in Montpellier, France. ... Self-portrait at age 24, 1804. ...

Despite the mundane subject, Manet deliberately chose a large canvas size, normally reserved for grander subjects.

It is your objective, to enlarge this picture by clicking on it, and then to look very carefully at it. I would like for you to "wonder" what is going on here? What is the status of the women, the men, the lady at the top of the picture, the food, etc. Write five questions you have....about this painting.