"Lemon," Édouard Manet, 1880.
Manet (1832-83) was a pivotal figure in Western art; he was the first real Modernist painter, in that he specialized in depictions of contemporary life. He was also an important figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism.
Some of his works generated scandal and controversy, like the famous "Dejeuner sur l'Herbe" (a picnic scene with nude women), and "Olympia," in which a nude courtesan matter-of-factly confronts the viewer. Here, though, we have a subdued picture of something simple: a lemon.
In 1880 his health was in decline, due to late-stage syphilis, and he began focusing on small-scale still lifes. Rather than arranging many objects, he'd focus on one, or a grouping of one type of thing. Manet is reported as saying that "an artist can say all he has to say with flowers, fruit, and clouds" and this seems to click with that view. This is a good reminder that in something mundane and everyday, like a lemon, art can be found.
He completed one last major painting, the famous "Bar at the Folies Bergeres" in 1882, and up to his death the following year, painted small pictures of flowers in crystal vases.
From the Musée d'Orsay, Paris.
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