Bathers on the Seine 1875

Edouard Manet created *Bathers on the Seine*, using oil paint on canvas, a technique that was, by the mid-19th century, utterly conventional. Yet in its materiality, this work feels anything but. Manet's loose brushstrokes, which barely cohere into recognizable forms, defy the illusionism that was once the gold standard for painting. Instead, he emphasizes the materiality of the paint itself, its viscosity and color. His approach has its roots in the work of artists like Gustave Courbet, who aimed to depict modern life without idealization. This was a direct challenge to the art establishment, which favored historical and mythological subjects rendered with meticulous detail. Manet's technique embodies a similar spirit of rebellion, suggesting that the act of painting, in its raw, unvarnished form, could be just as compelling as the subject matter. It’s a rejection of labor-intensive, highly polished surfaces, and an embrace of a more immediate, direct engagement with the world. This shift reflects a broader social and cultural upheaval, as artists began to question traditional hierarchies and explore new ways of representing the rapidly changing world around them.