I attended a lecture by British art historian Briony Fer, at the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art, on February 2nd. Fer is a professor of History of Art at University College London and is a critic and curator, too. She writes about contemporary art and specifically, abstract work.
The lecture on Edouard Manet and his still life started with two questions: "What if we were to think of Manet as a consequence of, rather than a precursor? What if we were to flip it and ask what HE got from abstraction?" To be honest, I've never been keen on Manet's still life paintings; I'm much more drawn to his figurative work. His still life are quite dull to me, but it was interesting to approach them through this lecture as something else. Through the lecture, we get to ask what his work is from our perspective and what came after his paintings. Fer also said, "How and when abstract art became culturally old is also worth asking."
There were a lot of questions.
A humorous moment in the lecture came when she recounted the tale of the asparagus paintings Manet had done for art patron Charles Ephrussi. Manet had sold Ephrussi Bunch of Asparagus for eight-hundred francs and Ephrussi was so appreciative, he sent one-thousand. In response, Manet swiftly created a smaller painting of one asparagus and sent it with a note to Ephrussi that one had slipped the bunch.
Bunch of Asparagus 1880
One Asparagus 1880
Manet's flowers were a focus for a significant part of the lecture. It's interesting to think of them beyond their traditional status as feminine, amateur, and "trinkets of collectors." Fer believes they're not just status, but possibilities. "Manet's flower paintings mobilize symbolic references." It was challenging to understand these concepts immediately, but what helped was the end of the lecture, when Fer said, "Manet's props don't serve their symbolic purpose. He's trying to show how material vision is." This especially connected with me as an artist creating representational work, striving for what is seen to transcend its literal occupation.
Flowers in a Crystal Vase 1882
Photo by Sean Hong
I can't say I understand Fer's argument about Manet's still lifes from what you say. I'd like to have been there.
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