Introduction
Edouard Manet is the author of the analyzed artwork. He painted this piece of art in 1870 while at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence R.I. Notably this is one of design schools founded in France during that era. Research indicates that this is the work, painted by Manet that depicts his close friend and his brother's wife Berthe Morisot, who was a painter as well. The painting has a dimension of 148 by 113 cm (58.3844.5 in). Oil and canvas are the main materials that were used. Oil on canvas technique requires an artist to draw a sketch on the canvas using charcoal. Though, sometimes a painter may use a thinned paint instead of the charcoal to make a sketch. Another important technique requires a proper of oil paint with other solvents to facilitate either faster or slower drying of the paint. Another technique employed by Manet is known as “fat over lean”. This is a technique that requires every next paint layer to contain more oil than the previous layer as this facilitates proper drying. This explains why the painting has been preserved for so long without depicting any cracks or peel. Another technique employed on the painting entails vanishing as a research indicates that oil on canvas paintings are ready to be vanished in six to twelve months. The artwork is christened Le Repos, and is located in Rhode Island School of Design.
The painting was created in a tense social environment. This comes from the fact that the art work was painted during the Franco-Prussian War and was marked by a decline in French's economic and industrial powers. Various historical events occurred at the time this art work was created. Firstly, France was defeated by Germany in the Franco-Prussian War. Secondly, Italian economy also faced a major blow, which was orchestrated by their unstable political system. However, Britain was enjoying reforms at that period because it was the most powerful and industrialized country in the world. The political situation in France at that time was unstable because of the war with Germany. In terms of economy, the country was thriving because it had developed a railway system that facilitated transportation of goods and people from one place to another. The social situation was bad as people were forced to leave their homes because of the Franco-Prussian War.
This piece of art is performed in oil on canvas style, which requires a sketch to be made on the canvas before oil is employed to create different shades on the painting. The artwork is glossy because of a special varnish that is applied after it is dry. Besides, if the oil is applied as required, the painting does not peel or crack. The subject matter of this artwork is a beautiful picture of a beautiful woman. This is portrayed by the creaminess of the white dress, the female figure and the curves of the sofa. The female figure in the portrait depicts an erotically charged woman. Such observation is derived from the way the woman figure is composed, with her hands spread and body language that seems to be welcoming a person from the direction that the woman is staring.
The main figure in this artwork is the woman sitting on the chair. The other figures in the picture include the curves of the sofa and a portrait hanging on the wall at the back of the picture. These two figures interact to compose the scene through adding beauty and glamour to the main figure with sunken eyes, her hair pulled back and her serious, matronly face. Two compositional elements are essential to this work. These include the curves on the sofa, which creates some sense of comfort, and the color, especially the creaminess of the white dress that adds luster to the artwork. Thus, the mood of the artwork can be described as vibrant, which results from reverberating of the brown color in the artwork.