Fine Art Friday: Édouard Manet

For this Fine Art Friday, I want to feature Édouard Manet. Manet was a French artist who bridged the gap between realism and Impressionism in the 19th century. His paintings were a little daring in his time because most of them were scenes from normal, daily life, rather than fancy portraits or carefully composed religious scenes. This made his work more approachable and easy to relate to, and also more mysterious as it gave room for much wider interpretation.

My favorite of Manet's paintings is this one, A Bar at the Folies-Bergère:

I'm not sure what it is about this one that speaks to me and draws me in, but it does. I can't even take a quick glance at it in a book; I always end up looking at it and trying to figure out the story behind it. There are many different interpretations and ideas about who the girl is, and what the reflection behind her means. I suppose the mystery of it is why I love it so much. 

-Cailey