My immediate impression of this painting is that only the lady in the foreground, as seen through the mirror behind her, appears real, while the rest of the people in the hallway appear unreal and superficial. Suzon is the only person in the crowded pub as everyone else appears detached from the action. I was also drawn in by the detached expression on her face that betrayed her disconnection from the surroundings. She ignores this scene psychologically and emotionally. The use of the mirror is one element of this piece that most interests me. It is through the use of the mirror that Manet is able to create another world that he is
able to contrast with Suzon. It would not have been possible to bring out this contrasting world without the mirror behind the Suzon because a whole new world comes to light through that mirror.
Analysis
Born in Paris in 1832, Manet was a believer in making a statement and impression using his art. Manet did not come from an artistic family and in fact, his father was against the idea of him becoming an artist. Surrounded by a judicial bourgeoisie in a middle-class upbringing, he was raised a liberal-minded man, as a result, his works often depicted of scandals. He was also realistic and a wise rebel.
Due to his upbringing, he painted what he saw and without discrimination. Manet also saw what he wanted to see, what he loved and what he was on the lookout for. As Jones (2000) explains, it is for this reason that Manet wanted to see the disconnection between the individual and the environment (Jones, 2000). He is able to capture that disconnection by contrasting the audience in the mirror with Suzon who is right in the foreground.
The historical period is also important in the understanding and appreciation of this painting. The painting of the late nineteenth century was about what was popular and applied to entertainment, manners and people. As a result, it was popular to attend concert halls. One of the trendiest nightspots in the city of Paris was Folies-Bergère. This café concert hall was a haven of circus acts, beer halls with loud music among other forms of entertainment. The visitors would take seats in galleries and other places of their locations while performances, drama and music was served on stage. This painting was done during this particular time in period.
The work is of modern nature due to its subject matter as it depicts the social life that in that time was considered very popular in Paris and other major urban centers in Europe. For example, through the mirror, the audience gets a glimpse of the trapeze acts. The trapeze is visible in the mirror and was considered as one of the latest and trendy entertainment acts of the time. Suzon is a physically beautiful barmaid and was seemingly employed due to her appearance that is hugely appealing. She therefore is used to tempt customers to the bar as they approach her and buy drinks. Her body language speaks of being ready to be at the service of the customers because just like the beverages behind her, she is also a commodity (Nunley, 2007). These were the values of modernity during this historical moment in time.
This painting explores the theme of vanity. Everything about the woman behind the counter and her surrounding is a suggestion of vanity. The combination of the flowers, the reflections in the mirror and the worldliness are the foundation of the iconography of the remembrances of mortality or vanitas paintings. As Hanson (2014) observes, there is a deliberate effort to make Suzon inconsistent with her surroundings (Hanson, 2014).
The first hint of this vanity is the reflections in the mirror compared to the real things, especially the Suzon herself. For example, the man in a hat approaching Suzon from the corner should in reality be standing in front of the bar with his back to the audience. However, this does not happen because Manet has a message that he seeks to pass on to the audience and his pursues that with little regard to everything else because this dislocation is deliberate.
The city itself is a hall of mirrors and Suzon floats in it and clings to the bar. The flowers on the bar are the attempt to preserve some humanity that is fast fading just like the whole demeanor brought about by her neatness. Vanity is further highlighted by the top-hatted stranger whose reflection, almost ghostly, approaches the lady with menace. It is especially critical that the stranger appears in the mirror and not in reality. Like in other keystones of the modern art, Manet captures the glamour of modern life, cruelty and coolness (Nunley, 2007).
The mirror offers a stylistic characteristic that are important and also relevant to the audiences of today- having to distinguish fantasy from reality. It offers an important reflection of the world and in this case the concert hall. The mirror reveals things that would otherwise be hidden from the audience. The mirror is the motif that brings about the mood of disillusionment. It is the mirror that becomes the audience's source of distorting and revealing images.
Despite the barmaid's physical outward beauty, she comes out as just an advertisement on the signboard for the bar. She is plumber in the image and this makes the audience question whether it is her or someone else reflected on the mirror. She exists in a form of feminine duality, a nurturer and a sex object. Hence, she can be seductive, alluring and aloof (Nunley, 2007). One is not sure whether she stands there as a caregiver or a saleslady and this distinction are only highlighted by the use of the mirror.
Important of the Analysis
The deeper knowledge that I have gained through my analysis has informed my thoughts about this work. My initial reaction was that only the barmaid looks alive even though she looks a bit miserable and in pain. The analysis has helped me in exploring and understanding that even though she looks miserable and disillusioned, she is real and full of life unlike the people in the mirror that although seemingly happy, inwardly, they lack life. As a result, they have distorted faces unlike Suzon who is in deep thoughts and clearly painted. While the rest of her surrounding seems to just float around, Suzon is the one that is seemingly holding the scene together with her grip. Hence, the analysis has been important in my deep understanding of this painting by Manet.
References
Hanson, T. (2014). The Bar at the Folies-Bergere. Texas Review, 35(3/4), 110-111.
Jones, J. (2000, October 21). A Bar at the Folies-Bergere, Edouard Manet (1882). The Guardian.
Nunley, C. (2007). PONGE AND MANET: READING THE URBAN THROUGH THE PAINTER'S LENS IN LE PARTI PRIS DES CHOSES. Symposium, 50(4), 211-223.
