At The Cafe

Manet loved the atmosphere of cafes and brasseries and often sat in them for relaxation after working. He met his friends there, and most of the knowledge we have of his life and habits comes from the people who used to talk with him or sit near him.

The setting is the Reichshoffen cabaret on the boulevard Rochechouart. The picture is one of a series of similar scenes painted either here or at the Nouvelle-Athenes. The man in the top hat is one of Manet's regular models; he also posed for the watercolor entitled Punchinello. Among the numerous cafe scenes painted by him this one is among the most suggestive. Manet shows us men and women in the new brasseries and cafes of Paris, which presents the viewer with an alternate view of new Parisian life. Manet claimed he was painting des oeuvres sinceres (sincere works). The women depicted in these scenes were courting certain risks with regards to perception and morality.

See you tomorrow. It's finally July!