Is Social Inequality Behind The Bar At The Folies-Bergere

Social class inequality is the existence of unequal opportunities and rewards for different social positions or statuses within a group or society. Factors of social class inequality are wealth, income, occupational, schooling, race, and ethnicity. Our society has changed from a manufacturing run workforce to a service ran workforce which has provided less jobs and increased unemployment rates. With all the changes our society has become much more depended on technology and one-minded thinking. Mechanisms that our society has are migration, emotions, youth perspective, and education.

Manet’s Bar at the Folies-Bergère, one of the most perplexing and mysterious paintings to exist, holds deep meaning and reflects French social life in this era. This work of art illustrates a Parisian nightclub, the Folies-Bergère, which catered to a diverse set of acts including the circus and ballet. It is here that the Barmaid works and where we see the interaction between her and the gentleman. This is where an extremely important concept of the work appears- perspective. Throughout the years there have been numerous interpretations and claims concerning why Manet painted the scene as he did, whether or not the perspective is accurate, and how all of the elements including the mirror and woman come together. Another fascinating element that comes from this scene is the social aspects of French life during this time. This element comes into play in the relationship between the barmaid and the gentleman in the top hat, the woman’s expression, and the occupation of the woman. Although there are many enlightening interpretations of Manet’s work, there is one that is particularly strong. Manet’s use of perspective and inclusion of social matters both engages the viewer and leads them to ponder what it is exactly that they are viewing.

To begin, inequality remains an injustice in which society strives to avoid because it often addresses the definitive distinction between the wealthy, and impoverished, oppressing those who are slaves to the rich. Rousseau indicates the inequalities of society when he states, “...Labour became necessary; and boundless forests became smiling fields, which it was found necessary to water with human sweat; and in which slavery and misery were soon seen to sprout out and grow with the fruits of the earth” (Rousseau [1761] 2004). Thus, Rousseau indicates how slavery became essential to human life, and that without the existence of slavery a civil society would cease to exist. A proper-functioning society only exists if there is slavery, and those

Toulouse-Lautrec’s treatment also provoked discontent from his favorite model, Yvette Guildbert, who did have a beautiful face. She once said that: "… For heaven's sake, don't make me so dreadfully ugly! A little less, sir, if you please! … Many people who come to see me shriek with horror at the sight of the colored sketch… Not everyone can see the artistic side of it. " Toulouse-Lautrec depicts her characteristic moment, adherence to Japanese tradition (Fig. 3). She is shown in the middle of act with an unforgettable attitude. Her symbolic black-gloved arms are posed pretentiously in front of her body. The extremely low angle distorts her facial features drastically. The jeering expression in her obscure eyes and the wry smile resemble the exaggerated grimace of Sharaku’s actor prints. To some extent, Toulouse-Lautrec, who was passionate about probing people, was the only one who understood each of her features and postures

It’s 1812, and you have just stepped into the Paris Salon. This building is well known for showing the best artworks, from multiple sources. People strut around in their best attire admiring the paintings, and on one display you see the artwork of Manet, his painting, Bar at the Folies-Bergere. The image depicts a young woman, at a bar, a mirror placed strategically behind her, showing the animated and exotic chaos unfolding right in front of her eyes. Looking at this painting in 1812 you couldn’t possibly contemplate the amount of articles, resources and ponderings that would emerge from this very painting in the future. Bar at the Folies-Bergere, has many interpretation, my personal favorites being the sense

The idea of modernity reflected change in the appearance of Paris and emerging of four important styles: Romanticism, Realism, Impressionism, and Post-Impressionism (Adams 486). Romanticism came from intense literary work that was inspired from passion, mystery, and imagination. In contrast, realism flourished and represented “the broad panorama of society” and the life of an everyday citizen (Adams 494). Impressionism focused on the reality of the world and how humans see it (Adams 499) whereas Post-Impressionism appears more structured, both depicting everyday scenes, leisure, portraits, along with the properties of light and color (Adams 504). In the oil painting, Little Girl in a Blue Armchair, Mary Cassatt exhibits impressionism, targeting women and children portrayed in interior spaces such as living rooms or kitchens of a house (Adams 501). The little girl’s casual, slouched pose and pulled up skirt revealing her underwear has a disobedient quality even though she may be too young to realize her seductive potential (Adams 501). Just as the woman in the painting by Edouard Manet, A Bar at the Folies-Bergere, the girl is drawing attention to herself by the way she is dressed and sitting. In the painting, A Bar at the Folies-Bergere, the woman’s seductive powers are suggested along with

broad range of Parisian types" (26). By McArthur stating so, it can be observed in the painting that

Edouard Manet was unlike many other impressionist artist he chose to paint what he saw and not what others wanted to see. He painted meaningful paintings such as Olympia (1865), Manet chose to paint a woman of his time instead of what was accepted in the french art. This painting was hated by many, it was not acceptable to paint courtesans also known as mistresses. Upon researching this painting many people felt as if he humanized prostitution. The women were meant to be modeled after historical, mythical or biblical themes. Manet came from a privileged family, instead of painting what he saw around him he wanted to paint the lower class or the less desirable.

Bernard Buffet was, as Nicholas Foulkes has remarked in his biography of the painter's life, one of the first mega-artists, heraliding the "super-star" artists of today. His peculiar linear style coupled with his rejection of abstraction and call for a return to realism, which can be observed in paintings such as La Ravaudeuse de filets (Fig. 3), one of the main attractions of the exhibition, are elements of Buffet's work which permits the audience to find alternatives for more academic conventions of moden art in his paintings.1 As Fabrice Hergott puts it, this presentation of Buffet as an artist working not in margin, but rather in parallel of his contemporaries, was not possible during Buffet's lifetime or immediatly after his death.2 The mediatisation of Buffet's life prevented a retrospective reflection on his oeuvre, as his reputation as a tacky, mondain artist was omnipresent.3 Almost twenty years after his death, it is now possible to focus on the art historical quality of his work, and the curators successfully managed to tell this new story about Buffet.

Manet broke social norms as well as, formal rules, composition rules, and rules of subject. Seeing a modern woman whom has intentionally discarded her clothes was absurd in this era. Manet made the woman vivid and flat to gravitate attention towards her as much as possible. He also broke rules of naturalism, by the disjunction and collapsing of space as stated in the video. Manet is intentionally playing with art and making a statement, by not applying the basic rules such as colors meshing, space between figures…etc. He borrowed his composition from a print by Raffaello Sanzio, a painter and architect of the High Renaissance. Manet took the concept of landscape, and subject matter of clothed men and nude women from Giorgio Castelfranco, a

Jean-Jacques Rousseau spent his life questioning the nature of human beings and the social contract that binds us all. In part one of the Discourse on the Origin and Foundations of Inequality Among Men the life of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and his views on the social contract and his life’s work are explored as well as how the idea of the social contract appears in our lives and compares to ideas of other. Through a view into his life and his beliefs, we can see that Rousseau is a man of paradox, neither taking one side or the other but instead attacking and supporting the ideologies of both. Rousseau was born in Geneva, Switzerland on June 28, 1712. He lived a turbulent childhood, having to deal with the loss of his mother and the abandonment of his father. At

Class, Status, and Party are viewed as influential factors that have a great effect in stratification, according to Weber, he viewed class to have a direct correlation to wealth and economic power. For instance, Class would be a group of people whose lifestyles would be similar economically. Status, however would be based on one's own social power and based on the lifestyle a particular group of people would have. Lastly Party would be based on groups who include individuals who are focused on certain causes, based on anything i.e. politics, religion, class, etc. Each of these factors are all based on groups of people and the way these groups can intersect within each section. Each of these factors are a category in the social stratification

The French society – evolving during the history - became diverse and biased, especially bigger cities like Paris and Marseille. The capital, Paris is the crucible: people from different countries move there in the hope of a better life, while Marseille gives a good basic to the Arabic society, moreover they established their own cult. This essay will outline the contemporary French society and focus the misfits in it. It will be divided into two main parts: part one will be the movie of Intouchables which is one of the most successful movie in the French history based on a true story, part two will be about the short story of Filles du bord de ligne, a story about two girls trying to find their place in a new country, in a new culture and be a part of a completely different world.

Immediately afterwards she is seen calling for Simmone, her attendant and lover to calm her itching skin with cold water. Despite being passionately committed to collective action for social reform, her physical handicaps serve as a reminder that her character is merely an extension of Sade’s writing and any further personal action requires his “permission”. In contrast, Sade often remained silent save for his occasional polarizing arguments with Marat which solidified his position as a creator rather than just an another character. Furthermore, his ability to physically pace and project a louder presence in contrast to Marat within the performance space highlights an another aspect of power separation between the two central characters.

Whether society likes it or not, inequality occurs in America. It is a matter that has been discussed in the past and present, yet not many measures have been taken to help take care of the problem. I closely read an article by a senior organizer and research associate at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington which touches upon the topic of a black and white split in our country. “Sociologists have long documented the fact that the class system is more rigid for African Americans than it is for members of other racial groups” (Schaefer 143). This issue dates all the way back to slavery in America and unequal treatment towards people of color. All this strain on our nation has lead us to believe that we are moving toward two