The Passionate Art of Edouard Manet

Edouard Manet is one of my favorite men of the art sphere. The passion of this man's painting is so strong. And the brash modernist realism is exciting and briskly remarkable. The painting entitled 'The Absinthe Drinker' (1858) engulfs one in a grand stretch of thoughtfulness with its portrayal of a sleek and wily soul there in the vigorous Paris back streets. 'Spanish Guitar Player' (1862) encapsulates a sort of homage to the Salon cadre and it works with its delicate soothing sophistication. Edouard Manet was a tasteful member of High Society and his art charms people in a unique way much akin to the scintillating paintings of Claude Monet. Of course, Claude Monet much like Edouard Manet, has the ability to engage one's inner soul in such a truly invigorating way. The clever Manet got intensely into the ranks of the impressionists a bit later. A tremendous masterpiece of Manet's is 'Bar at the Folies-Bergere' (1882). This work has a little bit of it all...the barmaid, trapeze artists, couples....it is a sensual joy that is remindful of the reading of the very acerbic and marvelous literary radical, Gertrude Stein. Manet seems to prove over and over that unique art should indeed be very sincere. This imaginative soul is a joy with his art that provokes one in such a good way, intellectually.