A Bar at the Folies-Bergre - Essay Example

A Bar at the Folies-BergèreA Bar at the Folies-Bergère is a painting by French painter Édouard Manet. It was painted and exhibited in 1882, and it is said to be the last major work that was painted by Manet. The painting shows a scene in a Paris night club. The painting is that of oil on canvas and it presents the audience with several ambiguities in its structure. The painting depicts a woman who is standing behind a counter and her image is reflected in a mirror that is behind her. The reflection however seems to have been captured at the wrong angle which makes it seem as if it was not an actual reflection of the woman.

There is also a seemingly displaced symmetry of the lights that have been placed on the pillars that are behind the woman. The illusions on the reflection of the woman on the mirror prompt one to change their thoughts about the woman on the painting. The comparison of the woman’s frontal image and the image of her that is reflected on the mirror that is behind her conveys a certain difference and a form of tension. This tension can be interpreted to be the difference between the way that a customer at the bar sees the woman and the way that the painter sees her, or the difference between the illusion of the calm that the woman presents and the reality that is the chaos in her life.. In other words, the woman is not necessarily what she seems.

The use of classical iconography in the painting can be studied to provide clues as to whom the woman really is. The roses that are on the painting have been placed in a glass of water have great meaning. The white rose is a symbol of purity while the pink rose is a symbol of divine love. There are also white roses on the woman’s corsage. This is done to present the woman as a representative of ancient deity in modern times. There is also a crystal bowl of tangerines that have been placed on the bar.

The tangerines provide color to the painting as they are glossy and are also an iconographic representation. This is because they are often used as a substitute for apples in the Christian iconography. There are also similar sets of bottles at the right of the painting. In the reflection, the cap of the champagne bottle can be seen, and this reinforces the idea that what is seen behind the woman is actually a reflection. The arrangement of the bottles on the painting invokes interplay of the use of symmetry in the painting.

The woman’s pose-both of her hands are on the bar also adds symmetry to the painting. The symmetry however seems to have been broken or at least softened by the woman’s gaze and the fruits that have been placed before her. The evocation and the use of space and the use of atmosphere in the painting also complement the use of symmetry and geometric relations in the painting. It is the combination of all the factors-the use of symmetry, light, geometric relations and reflection that made the painting one of the most popular and well known paintings.

Works citedEdouard, Manet, "A Bar at the Folies-Bergère," 1882