Serena Barton- What Inspired Me

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INSPIRATION

Manet's Breakfast Oil on Wood 26" x 19" (Private Collection) Manet breathed life into the French "Nature Mort" and I attempt to do the same in this painting. Inspiration: Manet- Still Life with Melon and Peaches
I am Olympia Oil/Mixed Media on Wood 21" x 19" Victorine Meurent was a street-smart redhead and one of Manet's favorite models. She posed for his celebrated "Olympia," the painting that scandalized Paris. After Manet's death, Victorine wrote to his widow asking for financial help but apparently never received a reply. In my work, Victorine's dress is composed of a copy of the letter to Mme. Manet. Inspiration: Manet- Olympia
John as Claude Monet Oil on Wood 22" x 20" My model, John, poses as the best known Impressionist painter. For much of Monet's life he was a starving artist and received considerable financial help from his friend, Edouard Manet. Monet led the fight after Manet's death to get Manet's work into the Louvre. Manet painted Monet in the studio boat the latter constructed to immerse himself in his subject matter. Inspiration: Manet- Monet in his Studio Boat
Jodi as Mme. Manet Oil on Wood 22" x 20" (Private Collection) Suzanne Manet seems an enigma to me. She loved music and was said to be placid and kind. Why did she and Manet never acknowledge that her "brother" or "godson', Leon, who lived with them, was in fact, their son, born before their marriage. What did she think of Manet's flirtations? Manet's relatively few portraits of his wife give us little insight into her inner life. Inspiration: Manet- Reading
Manet in Love oil on wood 17" x 24" (Private Collection) Edouard Manet was witty, urbane, often kind and at times temperamental. He was eternally in conflict between the traditional and rebellious sides of himself. His painting was bold yet he longed for conventional approval. Though perhaps he never meant to, he revolutionized Western painting. Manet painted several self-portraits that seem to allude to his inner conflicts. Inspiration: Manet- Self-Portrait with Palette
Berthe Morisot Under Glass Mixed Media 28" x 18" Morisot was from an upper middle class family who were unusual in supporting her becoming a serious painter. She was one of the leading Impressionists. From her letters, we know that Morisot felt depressed and frustrated by the conventions imposed on her as a bourgeoise young lady. The costumes in this work are taken from ensembles worn by Morisot in photographs and in paintings by Manet, such as "Repose". Inspiration: Manet- Repose
Musical Evening Chez Manet Oil on Canvas 34" x 32" The woman playing the piano in the foreground is Suzanne Leenhoff Manet , a gifted musician who became Manet's companion and later his wife. In this painting Manet sits to the right of the viewer, flirting with his pupil, Eva Gonzales, as Berthe Morisot on the sofa looks on in envy. The garish gaslight lends a circus like atmosphere. Manet liked to paint crowd scenes that included his friends and himself. Inspiration: Manet- Music at the Tuileries
Luncheon at the Studio Oil on Wood 17" x 14" The Impressionist painter Berthe Morisot came by Manet's studio often to pose and visit. Manet painted her frequently and the two were likely in love. She later married Manet's brother, Eugene. Inspiration: Manet- Berthe Morisot with Violets
Lolly as Painter Victorine Oil on Canvas 20" x 24" Victorine Meurent was not only Manet's model, but also became a painter herself. Ironically, she exhibited her work at the Paris Salon, the academic gallery that often rejected Manet's work. None of Victorine's work has survived. Here my model. Lolly, resembles the mature Victorine of "Gare St.-Lazare". Inspiration: Manet- Gare St.-Lazare

INSPIRATION