''The Café-Concert'' is an 1879 painting by the French painter

Édouard Manet Édouard Manet (, ; ; 23 January 1832 – 30 April 1883) was a French Modernism, modernist painter. He was one of the first 19th-century artists to paint modern life, as well as a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism (art movement), R ...

, who often captured

café A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café (), is an establishment that serves various types of coffee, espresso, latte, americano and cappuccino, among other hot beverages. Many coffeehouses in West Asia offer ''shisha'' (actually called ''nargi ...

scenes depicting social life at the end of the nineteenth century similar to those depicted in this painting.ArtBabble
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History

The setting has been identified as the Brasserie Reichshoffen on the Boulevard Rochechouart.Johnston, W., Nineteenth Century Art: From Romanticism to Art Nouveau, The Walters Art Gallery, 2000, p. 136, Manet shows us men and women in the new

brasserie In France, Flanders, and the Francophone world, a brasserie () is a type of French restaurant with a relaxed setting, which serves dishes and other meals. The word ''brasserie'' is French for "brewery" and, by extension, "the brewing busine ...

s and cafes of Paris, which presents the viewer with an alternate view of new Parisian life.Herbert, R.L., Impressionists:Art, Leisure, and Parisian Society, Yale University Press, 1991, p. 2, Manet claimed he was painting or "sincere works". The women depicted in these scenes were courting certain risks with regards to perception and morality.Dolan, T., Perspectives on Manet, Ashgate, 2012, p. 23,

Composition

In ''The Café-Concert'', Manet presents a café-concert in which three central figures form a triangle but are all engaged in opposite directions. The scene of a café-concert, supposedly casual, is hinted by Manet to be one of separation. The waitress enjoys a beer, while the woman at the table smokes a cigarette and appears subdued and the man appears to be at ease as he watches the performance (the singer known as “La Belle Polonaise” is reflected in the mirror in the background of the painting). It is noted that the man evokes confidence, because men unlike women could frequent cafés without insecurity. The painting was posed and completed in a studio but gives the appearance of being freshly observed.

Analysis

In this painting, concepts of conventional composition are rejected. The figures of the individuals represented are not clearly defined but modeled with brushstrokes. The colors are placed directly on the canvas with loose, repetitive strokes instead of applying layers of

pigment A pigment is a powder used to add or alter color or change visual appearance. Pigments are completely or nearly solubility, insoluble and reactivity (chemistry), chemically unreactive in water or another medium; in contrast, dyes are colored sub ...

s and glazes over a dark background.

''Off the Wall''

A reproduction of ''The Café-Concert '' was featured in ''Off the Wall'', an open-air exhibition on the streets of

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

, Maryland. A reproduction of the painting, the original is part of

The Walters Art Museum The Walters Art Museum is a public art museum located in the Mount Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. Founded and opened in 1934, it holds collections from the mid-19th century that were amassed substantially by major American art an ...

collection, was on display at the CFG Community Bank (Fell's Point).Walters Art Museum - Off the Wall
The

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current di ...

in London began the concept of bringing art out of doors in 2007 and the

Detroit Institute of Art The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) is a museum institution located in Midtown Detroit, Michigan. It has list of largest art museums, one of the largest and most significant art collections in the United States. With over 100 galleries, it cove ...

introduced the concept in the U.S.. The ''Off the Wall'' reproductions of the Walters' paintings are done on weather-resistant vinyl and include a description of the painting and a QR code for

smart phones A smartphone is a mobile phone with advanced computing capabilities. It typically has a touchscreen interface, allowing users to access a wide range of applications and services, such as web browsing, email, and social media, as well as multi ...

.Smith, T., Walters Art Museum goes of the wall, ''The Baltimore Sun'', September 11, 2012

Exhibition history

*From Ingres to Gauguin: French Nineteenth Century Paintings Owned in Maryland. Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore. 1951. *From El Greco to Pollock: Early and Late Works by European and American Artists. Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore. 1968. *Manet and Modern Paris. National Gallery of Art, Washington. 1982–1983. *Manet, 1832–1883. Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, Paris; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. 1983. *The Taste of Maryland: Art Collecting in Maryland 1800–1934. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1984. *Manet's Working Methods. The Courtauld Gallery, London. 1986. *Impressionism, the City and Modern Life. Ordrupgaard, Charlottenlund. 1996. *Before Monet: Landscape Painting in France and Impressionist Masters: Highlights from The Walters Collection. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1998. *Vive la France! French Treasures from the Middle Ages to Monet. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1999–2000. *Highlights from the Collection. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1998–2001. *Triumph of French Painting: Masterpieces from Ingres to Matisse. Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore; Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa; Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach; Royal Academy of Arts, London; Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo; Dayton Art Institute, Dayton. 2000–2002. *A Magnificent Age: Masterpieces from the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City; Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte; The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. 2002–2004. *19th Century Masterpieces from the Walters Art Museum. Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara; Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art, Austin. 2010–2011.Walters Art Museum - At the Cafe
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References

External links

Google Art
{{DEFAULTSORT:Café-Concert, The Paintings by Édouard Manet Paintings in the Walters Art Museum 1870s paintings Food and drink paintings Paintings of women