Asparagus 1880

Edouard Manet painted "Asparagus" in oils, capturing a single spear of this vegetable against a muted background. Manet, a figure of Parisian high society, painted this after one of his patrons overpaid him for a painting of a bunch of asparagus. It's a work of gratitude, of course. Yet it's also a study of class and commerce in 19th-century France. Asparagus was a luxury item, accessible only to the wealthy. By focusing on this single spear, Manet directs our attention to the intricacies of consumer culture and its relationship to artistic patronage. The painter renders the asparagus with sensuous brushstrokes, giving it a weightiness that elevates the humble vegetable to a symbol of both abundance and refinement. Is the painting then a comment on the commodification of art itself? Does it question the value we place on objects and relationships in a society increasingly shaped by economic exchange? Ultimately, "Asparagus" prompts us to consider the layers of meaning embedded in even the simplest of subjects, and to reflect on the values that shape our own perceptions.