Many canvases by French artists of the second half of the 19th century, including Edouard Manet, depict a variety of scenes and scenes taking place in a cafe. Indeed, at that time, the cafe was also a club of interests – the regulars of the institution, if they were not already friends, they definitely knew each other. The men spent their time playing billiards, dominoes or cards, while the women entertained themselves with conversation and light fruit infusions. Women who drank strong alcoholic beverages, and even more so smoked, were considered girls of easy virtue.
Edouard Manet himself did not ignore the nightlife of the French capital and was his own man in many institutions in Paris. Here he not only enjoyed the cuisine, he also met his friends. Many famous writers and artists began their careers in the midnight café crowd.
In his work “Cafe Interior” Edouard Manet depicted an ordinary everyday scene. The cafe is filled with many people, but they all merge into a faceless crowd. The artist’s eyes catch only the figure of a woman who came to the cafe to drink, but her face remains a mystery to the viewer. The artist showed her with her clothes and hair that she has a good income.
This painting by Edouard Manet is characterized by a certain monotony, it lacks the riot of colors inherent in the artist. But the painting “Cafe Interior” is good for its simplicity, it enchants with its everyday life. A great artist, which, no doubt, was Edouard Manet, in the simplest unremarkable situation, he will find the material for creating a brilliant masterpiece.
Year of painting: 1880.
Painting dimensions: no data.
Material: canvas.
Writing technique: oil.
Genre: genre painting.
Style: impressionism.
Gallery: Glasgow Museum, Glasgow, UK.