Speakasso › Paintings › A Bar at the Folies-Bergère
A Bar at the Folies-Bergère
Édouard Manet, 1882
The barmaid Suzon stands behind the marble counter of the famous Paris cabaret, and behind her a vast mirror reflects the hall, its chandeliers and crowd. The reflection is deliberately 'wrong': the girl and the bottles are shifted to the right, and a moustached gentleman appears before her who is nowhere to be seen in front of the counter. The puzzle is still debated. Manet's last major painting was made in his studio, where he posed the real Folies-Bergère employee while already gravely ill.
What is in the painting
- Bottles on the bar. Champagne, liqueur and beer with a red triangle on the label.
- Roses in a glass. Two roses in a tumbler and a dish of tangerines.
- Chandeliers in the mirror. Blurred globes of light and a crowd on the balcony.
Did you know? In the top left corner of the mirror hang the green boots of a trapeze artist, the only trace of the show going on.
About the painting
- Artist
- Édouard Manet (1832–1883)
- Year
- 1882
- Style
- Impressionism
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Size
- 96 × 130 cm
- Where to see it
- Courtauld Gallery, London
How to describe it in Speakasso
In Speakasso you describe the painting in your own words and an AI draws it again. These words are forbidden in this round — each one costs 15 points:
A description that scores high
A young server with blonde bangs stands in the center behind a marble counter, facing us with a tired, blank look. She wears a dark velvet jacket with lace. On the counter: champagne, beer with a red triangle label, a dish of tangerines and two roses in a glass. Behind her, a huge reflective wall shows a blurry crowd, chandeliers and her own back. Loose, shimmering oil painting.
The tricky part: Say the whole wall behind her is one huge looking glass, showing her back shifted to the right and a man facing her.
The method behind it: what is painted first, then where things are, then colour and light, then the style. Read the full guide
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