Édouard Manet, In the Conservatory

This artwork is one that was quite talked about by the critics. As usual, Manet provokes an ambiguous sensation, making us feel like he is trying to tell us more than what he is showing.

He was already famous, especially, for his tendency to agitate. He portrays his friend Jules Guillemet and his wife, who owned a well known clothing shop in Paris, in another friend’s conservatory, Swedish painter Georg Otto von Rosen’s.

See a more detailed analysis of this painting in the following slideshow.

Checking these past posts might be useful to understand this one better:

"The Gardeners"

"Friendship for convenience?"

Remember that if you are using a tablet or a smartphone and you can't read the whole post, you can access to an alternative version of it on Youtube.

Sources: Hirdt, W. Manet und Zola. Tübingen, A.Francke V., 2001;

Willsdon, C.A.P. In the Gardens of Impressionism. London, Thames & Hudson, 2004

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