John Carlos BaezMar 7

Manet's famous painting Un Bar aux Folies-Bergère never appealed to me. But now I realize its genius, and my spine tingles every time I see it.

The perspective looks all wrong. You're staring straight at this barmaid, but her reflection in the mirror is way off to right. Even worse, her reflection is facing a guy who doesn't appear in the main view!

But in 2000, a researcher showed this perspective is actually possible!!! To prove it, he did a photographic reconstruction of this scene. Check it out in my next post.

This blows my mind.

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Show threadjranft
@johncarlosbaez Also it’s a painting and not meant to follow the rules of photography and reality.
Mar 7 at 9:51pmMastodon for iOS
Show threadJohn Carlos BaezMar 8

@jranft - indeed, painters can do whatever they want. For example the woman is more thin than her reflection.

But this painting was made in an era when realism was the the norm, and it confused people.

Show threadjranftMar 8
@johncarlosbaez Impressionism was a fleeting glimpse of reality, often distorting it in this way.
Show threadjranftMar 8
@johncarlosbaez Impressionism was a fleeting glimpse of reality, often distorting it in this way.