ManetMuch of Manet's art reflects the developments taking place in Paris in the 1860s and 1870s. The reconstruction of Paris was overseen by Baron Haussman, as much of the city's old medieval center was destroyed in order to rebuild the new city. In his book "The Painting of Modern Life" TJ Clark argues that 20th century modern art evolved from the art produced by Manet during this period of great change in Paris. Manet's scenes of Parisian cafés, bars and streets reflected the new Paris. Manet's work influenced the Impressionist painters, who exerted a strong influence on 20th century painting, so in this sense Manet's painting is the first modern art to emerge from the creation of the new Paris that Manet depicted in many of his paintings. Although Le Dejeuner Sur L'Herbe and Olympia were the most famous and controversial works produced by Manet, I do not believe they represent the views of the French writer Baudelaire who coined the expression "modern life". Instead, I will focus more on Manet's last great masterpiece, The Bar of the Folies-Bergère, a better depiction of Parisian life, as well as some of his other smaller and lesser-known works. I will discuss the relationship between Manet's art, particularly this painting of the Folies Bergere night club, and modern life in Paris during this period. During the 1860s, under the reign of Napoleon III in France, the city of Paris became one of the most modern cities in the world thanks to Baron Georges Eugene Haussmann's extensive redesign. Paris was full of bars, operas, cafes, cabarets and a center of Western dance and culture. Many of the slums and poor areas of the city center have been redesigned with wide streets and modern buildings. Even if that means... half the paper... the 19th century, Yale University Press, New Haven, USA8) Hamilton, G. 1969, Manet and his critics, WW Norton & Co. Inc, New York, USA9) Hanson , A. 1977, Manet and the Modern Tradition, Yale University Press, London, UK10)Krell, A. 1996, Manet and the Painters of Contemporary Life, Thames and Hudson Ltd., London, UK11)Lucie-Smith, E. 1971 , A Concise History of French Painting, Thames & Hudson Ltd., London, UK12)Pool, P. 1985, The Complete Paintings of Manet, Penguin Books, Orients, S. Harmondsworth, Middlesex, USA.13) Reff, T. 1982 , Manet and modern Paris, National Gallery of Art, Washington, USA14)Schneider, P. 1972, The World of Manet 1832-1883, Time Life International, USA15)Walter, E. 1983, Manet 1832-1883, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA16)Wilenski, R. 1973, French painting, Dover Publications Inc., New York, USA
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