Task 1 – The Influence of Paintings on Photography

The Influence of Paintings on Photography

Painter: Edouard Manet Le déjeuner sur l’herbe (Oil on Canvas)

Photographer: Jeff Wall The Story Teller (Transparency on lightbox)

 

Edouard Manet (1832 – 1883) was a French modernist painter. He was one of the first of the 19thcentury artists to paint modern life. He was a notable figure in the transition from realism to impressionism.

Manet painted ‘Le Dejeuner sur l’herbe’ (which translates to Lunch on the Grass) in 1863 with oil paints on canvas. Initially the painting was rejected from the 1863 Salon but was displayed under a new title ‘Le Bain’ (which means The Bath) at Salon des Refuses where it was very popular. Salon de Refuses was set up by

Napoleon III because so much art work was rejected from the official Salon.

Edouard Manet - Le Dejeuner sur l'Herbe

It is hard to determine what the painting is actually about, it is said that Manet was“paying tribute to Europe’s artistic heritage, borrowing his subject from the Concert champêtre – a painting by Titian attributed at the time to Giorgione (Louvre) – and taking his inspiration for the composition of the central group from the Marcantonio Raimondi engraving after Raphael’s Judgement of Paris” (muse-orsay.fr).

However, this reference is opposed by the bold presence of a nude woman with clothed men – this caused a lot of controversy.

The nude woman is looking straight at the viewer which creates an uncomfortable feeling for the audience as traditionally nude females tend to be painted with a gaze or coy looking face.

The clothed figures in the painting are modern Persian men who are dressed fashionably – the type of men you would see in Paris in that time period. One male is gesturing toward the other male who appears to not be returning conversation but looking out of the painting.

To avoid conforming to conventional paintings, Manet did not include any depth or perspective as all the figures appear to be the same size and there is minimal to no transition between the dark and light areas of the painting. For example, the figure painted in the back ground is dimensionally too large for where she would be in the middle / back ground.

 

 

Jeff Wall is a Canadian photographer who was born in 1946. He created a photograph called ‘The Storyteller’ in 1986. Like many of his photographs, this was a staged piece.  It is a silver dye bleach transparency in a light box measuring 229 x 437 cm. Wall re-staged nonprofessional actors in similar positions to the way the figures are painted in Manet’s ‘Le Dejeuner sur l’herbe’.

“‘The Storyteller’ is set in a barren, leftover slice of land next to a highway overpass in Vancouver, where the artist lives.” (artblart.com)

Jeff Wall - The Storyteller
Working Title/Artist: The Storyteller Department: Photographs Culture/Period/Location: HB/TOA Date Code: Working Date: photography by mma Digital File 2006.91 Wall.jpg retouched by film and media (jn) 1_19_07

Inspired by leading lines, Wall has involved the colours, and the figures in the same positions. Other similarities include the centre vanishing pointwhich is lead into by trees, similar three figures sitting on the grass and another figure in the stream

The differences in between the two pieces, are the medium in which they were created and the sense of perspective in Wall’s photograph. Also in The Storyteller there is a highway. This adds a man-made element to the photograph whereas the painting is of some natural scenery.

 

 

 

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