The concept of modernity during the 19th century encapsulated a period of immense social, cultural, and philosophical transformation, particularly in Paris. It was an era defined by rapid urbanization, industrialization, and shifts in traditional values, which were both reflected in and shaped by the arts. Central to this discourse were Édouard Manet, whose paintings challenged artistic norms, and Charles Baudelaire, who articulated the very essence of modernity. Baudelaire’s reflections on modernity, which he described as the fleeting, ephemeral experience of life in a rapidly changing world, resonate deeply in the works of Manet. This essay examines how Manet’s Olympia (1863) and Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe (1863), along with Edgar Degas’ L’etoile (1878), embody Baudelaire’s ideas of alienation, ambiguity, and the primacy of the modern experience, drawing on their artistic challenge to tradition and society.
Baudelaire’s Modernity and Manet’s Olympia
Baudelaire’s notion of modernity, articulated in his essay The Painter of Modern Life, centers around the experience of the “present” as something fleeting and transient. He describes the modern artist as one who captures the essence of the ephemeral and the eternal in the same breath, balancing the mundane with the sublime. This dichotomy finds a clear expression in Manet’s Olympia. Rather than adhering to the idealized depictions of women in traditional academic art, Manet presents the viewer with a modern woman who, through her gaze and posture, asserts both her autonomy and her commodified existence.
Harrison and Wood note in their book that Baudelaire’s vision of modernity also entails a deep sense of alienation, both from nature and from societal expectations. Baudelaire describes how humans, like nature, are constantly evolving, and as a result, we are perpetually estranged from both. This sense of dislocation is evident in Olympia, where the figure’s lack of idealization confronts the viewer with the realities of modern life — the commodification of beauty, the blurred boundaries between the private and the public, and the alienation of individuals within a rapidly changing society. Olympia thus captures the Baudelairean concept of the artist as an observer of the transient present, while simultaneously embodying the alienation and moral ambiguity that defined modernity.
Moreover, Thomson highlights that Olympia is a radical break from the past, not just in its aesthetic choices but in its refusal to offer the viewer comfort through idealization. Manet’s modern woman, unashamedly gazing at the viewer, reflects Baudelaire’s narrative of a fragmented modern self, caught between new freedoms and the objectification imposed by an industrial, capitalist society. It is through this lens that Olympia emerges as a symbol of Baudelairean modernity — asserting the primacy of feeling and the acknowledgment of the uncomfortable realities of modern existence.
The Social and Philosophical Tensions in Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe
Manet’s Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe further engages with Baudelaire’s exploration of modernity by presenting an unsettling reflection on the modern social landscape. Baudelaire’s writings on romanticism emphasize the primacy of feeling over artistic form, arguing that the true essence of an artwork lies in the emotional intensity it conveys rather than its adherence to classical standards. This is central to understanding Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe, which deliberately breaks with traditional subject matter and composition, offering instead a scene that captures the unease and complexity of modern social relations.
In the context of Baudelaire’s ideas on alienation, Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe can be seen as a visual representation of the philosophical dislocation inherent in modern life. The painting juxtaposes figures in a contemporary landscape, challenging the viewer’s perception of normalcy by presenting the everyday alongside the provocative. As Wood and Harrison suggest, the painting unsettles viewers by undermining their expectations of decorum and propriety. Baudelaire’s narrative of modernity as a space of constant ambiguity, where humans are estranged from nature and each other, is reflected in the tension between the clothed men and the naked woman, whose disinterest in conforming to social expectations mirrors Baudelaire’s modern self — disconnected and ambivalent.
In addition to this, Smith argues that Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe also challenges the viewer to confront the disquieting realities of modern society, where traditional values are constantly in flux. The painting reflects Baudelaire’s notion of the modern artist as a flâneur, an observer of life’s passing moments, often detached yet deeply aware of the complexities of the human condition. Manet’s work, like Baudelaire’s poetry, offers no resolution but instead presents the viewer with a space to reflect on the contradictions of modern existence — alienation from nature, the disintegration of established social structures, and the perpetual ambiguity of the self in an urban, industrial world.
Degas’ L’etoile and the Transience of Modern Life
Edgar Degas’ L’etoile engages with Baudelaire’s concept of modernity by capturing the fleeting nature of beauty and performance in the context of an urbanized, commodified society. Baudelaire emphasized that modernity was about grasping the ephemeral and the eternal in the same moment — a task that required the artist to balance the transient with the lasting. In L’etoile, Degas focuses on a single moment of grace on the ballet stage, yet the figure in the background introduces a darker commentary on the exploitation and control that lie beneath the surface of beauty and art. This duality reflects Baudelaire’s own ambivalence toward the modern world, where art and commerce, beauty and alienation, are inextricably intertwined.
Moffett adds to this discourse by exploring how Degas’ portrayal of modern life often centers on the interplay between the public spectacle and private emotions. In L’etoile, the dancer is a public figure, celebrated for her physical beauty and grace, yet the lurking male figure hints at the exploitation and objectification that underlie her performance. This tension mirrors Baudelaire’s view that modern life, with its pleasures and beauty, is equally characterized by alienation and moral ambiguity. The transient nature of the ballerina’s performance mirrors Baudelaire’s vision of modernity as a fleeting experience, always on the edge of dissolution and decay.
Furthermore, as Thomson observes, the commercialization of entertainment in 19th-century Paris becomes a metaphor for the commodification of beauty and individuality in modern life. Degas, like Manet, exposes the underside of modernity — the spectacle of performance, the fleeting nature of fame, and the disillusionment that comes with the realization that beauty, like life, is ultimately ephemeral. Baudelaire’s narrative of modernity, with its focus on the transient and the eternal, finds a powerful visual counterpart in Degas’ L’etoile, where the artist captures not only the moment of beauty but the existential loneliness that accompanies it.
Conclusion
The works of Manet and Degas encapsulate the central themes of Baudelaire’s vision of modernity — alienation, ambiguity, and the transient nature of experience.Ultimately, through their engagement with Baudelaire’s narrative of modernity, Manet and Degas not only challenged artistic conventions but also provided a lens through which fosters an understanding of the existential struggles and social transformations of 19th-century Paris. Their work continues to serve as a reflection on the contradictions of modern existence, where beauty and alienation coexist, and tradition and progress remain perpetually in tension. Through their paintings, Manet and Degas not only engage with Baudelaire’s narrative of modernity but also contribute to the broader discourse on what it means to be modern in a world where tradition and progress are perpetually at odds.
Bibliography:
- Charles-Pierre Baudelaire. The Painter of Modern Life. Penguin UK, 2010.
- Harrison, Charles, and Paul Wood. Art in Theory, 1900–2000 : An Anthology of Changing Ideas. Malden, Ma: Blackwell Pub, 2003.
- Moffett, Charles S, and Francisco. The New Painting : Impressionism 1874–1886 ; [National Gallery of Art, Washington, 17 January — 6 April 1986 ; the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, M.H. De Young Memorial Museum, 19 April — 20 July 1986]. Geneva: Burton, 1986.
- Smith, Paul. Impressionism. Prentice Hall, 1995.
- Thomson, Belinda. Impressionism: Origins, Practice, Reception. London: Thames & Hudson, 2000.
