Manet preferred compositions with two figures as opposed to the straightforward portrait form because it opened up the possibility of interesting dialogue situations. The double portrait of Jules Guillemet and his wife, painted in the conservatory of the painter Johann Georges Otto Rosen, is one of the most important of these works because of the sensitivity with which it uses the most delicate nuances of colours and contrasts to describe and re-connect the psychologically tense, only outwardly detached, relationship of the two figures. The theme of the picture is the interplay between the elegant lady — the owner of a fashion shop in Paris — and the gentlemen turned in her direction. He seems rather small due to the way he is bending over and brushes against the upper edge of the picture, while the feminine beauty with the effortless noblesse of her extended posture occupies a large part of the picture space. Despite their being separated by the back of the seat — with its own graphic appeal by virtue of its transparency — the understated focal point of this rich conservatory scene with all its plant forms and subtle colours is the hands approaching each other. Manet’s paintings are fascinating for a variety of reasons: a palette of colours that is subtle yet not without the tension of contrast, plus subject matter that is free from literary or symbolic content. This is painting at its highest level, drawing on an uncommonly fertile imagination, on the constant awareness of visual phenomena, and on a gift for laconic observation that translates every sight into a subtly mediated experience for the eyes. Particularly in the compositions with two or more figures, there are also extremely skilfully dramatized scenes with psychologically intriguing configurations of actors or often of silent players, wordless and motionless like the different elements in a still life.
- Title: In the Conservatory
- Creator: Edouard Manet
- Date Created: 1878/1879
- Physical Dimensions: w150.0 x h115.0 cm
- Type: Painting
- original title: Dans la Serre
- Technique and material: Oil on canvas
- Inv.-No.: A I 550
- ISIL-No.: DE-MUS-815114
- External link: Alte Nationalgalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
- Copyrights: Text: © Prestel Verlag / Alte Nationalgalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Photo: © b p k - Photo Agency / Nationalgalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin / Jörg P. Anders
- Collection: Nationalgalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
- Artist biography: Édouard Manet was one of the most important and controversial French painters of the 19th century, whose works sometimes scandalized Parisian society and became a great inspiration for the Impressionists. In 1845 he took part in a special course of drawing and met Antonin Proust who later became the Minister of Fine Arts. From 1850–56 Manet was an apprentice under the history painter Thomas Couture and copied the old masters in the Louvre. In 1853 he travelled to Germany, Italy and the Netherlands where he was influenced by Dutch artists such as Frans Hals as well as by Spanish painters like Diego Velázquez and Francisco Josè de Goya. In 1856 he opened his own studio. During his early years his style was characterized by simplified details and the realism of his day. His main subjects were people, for example in cafés or ballet scenes, humble persons such as beggars or gypsies and scenes of daily life. Rather less frequently, he also painted religious, mythological or historical themes. His friends included several Impressionist painters such as Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir or Paul Cézanne. Manet became famous for artworks like 'Le déjeuner sur l’herbe' (1862), 'Olympia' (1863) 'A Bar at the Folies-Bergère' (1882) and 'The Café Concert' (1878).
- Artist Place of Death: Paris, France
- Artist Place of Birth: Paris, France
- Artist Dates: 1832-01-23/1883-04-30
DecorArts is a professional wall art company located in California.
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Giclée Quality Guarantee:
Giclée printing is meant to produce a product at a higher quality and longer lifespan than a standard desktop inkjet printer. The word was used to describe digital reproductions of conventional artworks (painting or drawing) or photographs.
There are at least three basic criteria which must be met in order for the print to be considered a true giclée...
- For giclée printing, the paper or substrate used to actually print the final piece must be acid free and consist of a 100% cotton base.
- Any image that is to be printed as a giclée needs to be created at a resolution of no less than 300 dots per inch (DPI). This is to ensure that the final print has the sharpest detail and lacks any of the fragmentation that can occur with images less than 300 DPI.
- The last step to creating or confirming a true giclée print is the type of ink and printer used. The biggest contrast between a standard inkjet print and a giclée print is that giclées are printed using pigment-based inks rather than the dye-based inks found in lower cost inkjets. Pigment-based inks have a longer life span that can last anywhere from 100 to 200 years without significant fading.
The Quality :
The quality of the giclée print rivals traditional silver halide and gelatin printing processes and is commonly found in museums, art galleries, and photographic galleries.
With Giclée printing technology, we are able to provide the best possible quality for the reproduction of fine art masterpieces as well as your personal photos. Our prints capture the subtlest of colors and contrasts, while retaining superb image sharpness.
- We use real wood (non-MDF) for our canvas stretcher bars
- The canvas depth of of each dimension will be 1.5" thick
All of our canvas prints are gallery wrapped. Your image will be visible in full on the front side of the canvas while the outer edges are either artistically extended or mirrored to wrap over the wood stretcher bars on all sides. Our canvases are hand-stretched over solid wood stretcher bars.
Our canvas art works arrive ready to hang right out the box! We will affix a sturdy sawtooth hanger to the back of your canvas and include in your package: two screws, two nails, a pair of gloves, and a gradienter (small water level to ensure art is hung straight).
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