The plum by Édouard Manet

This intimate portrait captures with a rare sensitivity a moment of solitary daydreaming at the heart of urban life. Attached to a modern vision of genre scenes, this painting entitled “The plum” expresses the pictorial modernity developed by the great creator Édouard Manet. Observing this suspended moment, the viewer enters into the interiority of a melancholic figure. The artist manages to capture the very essence of city life through a psychological portrait of great delicacy.

A young woman with blonde hair is seated alone at the white marble table of a public establishment. Dressed in a delicate pink dress with ruffled sleeves, she pensively rests her cheek against her closed fist, her gaze lost in space. Her left hand, carelessly placed flat on the furniture, holds an unlit cigarette. In front of her, a small crystal glass contains a candied fruit bathing in a dark liquor. The background consists of a tufted red leather banquette, topped by a wooden panel and a decorative motif adorned with scrolls. The soft lighting highlights the pale complexion of her face.

Technical virtuosity is fully expressed in the velvety treatment of the dress and the smooth texture of the marble. Thanks to a delicate use of oil painting, the painter achieves subtle chromatic transitions. This realistic representation confirms a unique artisanal know-how to translate the feeling of contemporary solitude.