A brush of sexism
Disliking a Painting: The Luncheon on the Grass
I love a nude so much so that I have another two, more positive, stories on nudes in art coming out. But a bad nude, is not a good thing, and possibly not what you think.
To set the record straight, I don’t mean a “bad-looking” body, or something too promiscuous, or not promiscuous enough. I mean…well, I don’t know what exactly I mean, ok? Sorry… I just lost my temper with myself a bit there. Just come along for the ride if you want to understand.
Le Bain
Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe, or The Luncheon on the Grass, is a big oil on canvas work by Édouard Manet that was painted between 1862 and 1863. It was initially titled Le Bain (The Bath).
A naked woman is leisurely lunching with two fully dressed men in the artwork. Her body is brightly lighted, and she stares the spectator, the viewer, the audience, in the eyes. The two males, young dandies, appear to be conversing while oblivious to the woman. The woman’s attire, a basket of fruit, and a circular loaf of bread are exhibited in front of them, as though in a still life. Another woman bathes in a brook in the backdrop.
What I don’t like, mostly, is the imbalance. We could argue that the woman seems put there, much as another piece of still life. An object. Now, I cannot speak for Manet’s intentions, but I feel that I can speak of what I see.
But first (I know, I kind of set the grounds for criticism) what can you see?
While likely not in the U.K., I can imagine this scene as out of a Victorian novel. A bit like in The Picture of Dorian Gray. The two dandies are there, enjoying life and maybe talking about women with much belittlement, while the woman is beautiful, yet voiceless. Sure, here she appears as wanting to say something, looking straight at the viewer’s eyes. But what? What is she saying?
The woman in the background is also ignored by the group, but to me, it seems like a situational factor. She is, after all, bathing. The others are having a picnic, discussing. So why, why don’t these men interact with the naked woman? But mostly:
Why is she even naked? There, while the others are dressed.
Also, the same blue towels protecting the food are shielding her body from the grass. A subtle reminder of her importance as an object of pleasure?
I don’t know. As I said before, I cannot be sure of what is “really going on” in the painting. I can only discuss what I see, and what I feel.
I don’t like it. And it’s not a matter of style.