What could have been more joyful than an evening at a bar at the Folies Bergére? Not only could people be entertained by the singers, dancers, and other performers, but also by the actions, antics, and pretenses of the assembled crowds. It all could be enjoyed with the clinking of crystal in many a champagne toast. As can be seen in the painting, of the eleven bottles visible on the counter in front of the barmaid, six are of champagne, each ready to be opened to keep the party going.
Edouard Manet, who painted this piece in 1882 toward the end of his life, used it to express the delights of a life he knew all too well. However, he did not want just to celebrate the gaiety that could be had. He wanted also to show the illusory quality of that life passed in pursuit of momentary pleasures. Many painters create works that speak of life from a perspective that indicates life’s complexities and its unknowns. Uccello, in what some believe to be his final painting, The Hunt in the Forest (1470), summed up his final statement on his life-long obsession with perspective. One can draw a direct line from each of the people and animals involved in that hunt to some unknown spot deep in the forest where the vanishing point exists. Francesco Guardi, a Venetian painter of scenes of that city, painted a series of works in which there is a gondola apart from the rest, moving off in a direction far from Venice and its city life. So, too, Manet seems to reflect on the illusory quality of temporal life, but he does it in a subtle fashion. One can imagine him reflecting on his life over a good glass of champagne in a toast to it all, joys and sorrows alike, lived in the glittering City of Light, as Paris was then called.
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
Let’s take a look at the bar. Now, this certainly is a row of earthly delights. One sees various things to drink, including quite a bit of champagne, a sumptuous crystal bowl holding shiny “mandarins,” as those little oranges are know in France, and a lovely wine glass of flowers right in front of the barmaid, a certain Suzonne, who posed for Manet, followed by more bottles of good drinks.
Over the barmaid’s right shoulder is a great mirror view of the crowd, men in top hats, ladies, one peering with opera glasses, and someone in green boots doing a trapeze act in the upper left corner. All of this presided over by an enormous crystal chandelier with gold trim. However, here is where the illusion begins. The crowd may look doubly large because that mirror reflects not only the people in front of the bar, but there is also possibly a reflection sent back by a mirror that lines the back wall. Of course, it could simply be that the crowd continues into another room; however, the point is that mirrors create illusions, making it hard to discern what is real and what is not. As Manet did it, the image here is the illusion of a never-ending crowd and a never-ending party. French philosopher Maurice Merleau Ponty wrote about the mirror as “the instrument of universal magic that changes things into spectacles, spectacles into things, me into others and others into me.” In other words, “It’s all done with smoke and mirrors,” as the saying goes, but ambiguity is one of the points of this painting.
That ambiguity is highlighted in this image of the back of the barmaid, showing her talking to a man in a top hat. It has been said that the lovely barmaids at the Folies were “vendors of drink and of love.” Now, it could be that the barmaid was simply listening to what the customer’s order was. On the other hand… The strange angle of the reflection of the barmaid’s back has always been a controversy, as it is set off to the side rather directly behind the barmaid. However, that is the only way that the viewer of the painting can see the man’s face, which must then be compared to the barmaid’s face.
And here we see her face on. Her eyes are moved to the side as though considering something. Perhaps it is what the man in the mirror is proposing? So amid all the gaiety, we have one rather solemn face, and we don’t know why exactly. Is she simply tired? Is she bored? Does the man before her make her think of or long for someone else? Manet’s painting is subtle, but it tells a story that the viewer can finish in any way he or she likes, because no one knows for sure.
This was Manet’s last major work. Though on the surface one sees what looks like a sparkling night of fun and entertainment, Manet’s rendering of the solemn face of the barmaid amid all the gaiety reminds us that all was not fun and games.
Here we see Edouard Manet, the man about town, perfectly attired, image immaculately created, a painting revolutionary hidden in superbly elegant style.
The Art Institute of Chicago
“Come quickly. I am tasting the stars!”
Dom Perignon, monk and cellar master for the Benedictine monastery at Hautville, France, was right when he first tasted the divine creation he had stumbled upon (the apocryphal tale says it was August 4, 1693). Tasting stars is normally how it feels, especially with a good champagne. Now, what is that exactly? Well, it is partially a matter of who produces it. It is also a matter of cost: higher quality more expensive brands taste better than those which are not. However, there is a matter of personal taste that goes beyond costs. Normally that has to do with how dry or sweet the champagne is.
There is a range of descending dryness that starts with bone dry champagne known as Brut Nature or Extra Brut. Then there is Brut, which is dry; however, Extra Dry is actually a bit fruity. Dry is somewhat sweet, also fruity. Demi-sec is quite sweet, and Doux (Sweet) is dessert champagne. You can get it in colors, from crystalline near white, or pale light gold, to pink (Rosé).
And champagne is not always champagne. Let me explain. France is where Champagne exists, the region where those lovely little champagne grapes are grown. They wisely formulated a treaty to protect the name of their product. Only their sparkling wine could bear the name champagne. Even in France, sparkling wine made outside of Champagne will bear a different name, like Cremant or Mousseux. Fine, but we in the U.S. make champagne, right? Right, the United States did not sign the treaty, so yes, we produce champagne, and good ones on the Pacific Coast. However, there are also excellent Italian sparkling wines that go under the name of Prosecco, Lambrusco, or Asti-Spumante. The Spanish have Cava, made in the traditional way champagne is made but with different grapes, like the macabeu, which produces a taste quite similar to French champagne.
“Champagne is the only wine that leaves a woman more beautiful after drinking it.”
Madame de Pompadeur knew a thing or two about beauty, high living, and champagne, all provided by her “boy friend” the King of France, Louis XV. One thing for sure, champagne allows one to be beautiful in a variety of settings. Champagne is a low carb wine, therefore good for your waistline, especially the very dry ones, Brut Nature and Extra Brut, but be careful not to have too many glasses (95 calories per glass). Brut champagne pairs well with seafood, lobster, pasta and any mushroom dish. However, it is just as good with popcorn and potato chips, so you can be beautiful while watching an old movie and having a throw-caution-to-the-wind snack. Any that are a bit fruity, like Extra Dry and Dry, can go well with classic hamburgers or sausage bits rolled up in flaky pastry crust. Just remember not to use a dry champagne with a dessert, as the flavors conflict. For dessert move to any of the champagnes bearing the word “sec.” Yes, sec, in French means “dry” but not in champagne. Demi-sec or Doux are sweet and good to serve with desserts. For more elaboration on wonderful things to have with champagne, look at Chris Hallowell’s article for Epicurious https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/30-sparkling-wine-and-champagne-food-pairings-article
Now, the most distressing conundrum: how do you get the bottle open? For that here is an expert with a step-by-step video on how to open the bottle with class: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNlMroIwKKM If you are not too interested in “classy” but just want to get the bottle open in time to go with the hot popcorn, you can buy a little champagne set in any wine store. It comes with a nice metal top to re-cork your bottle of champagne and keep the bubbles in, and a little device with teeth-like points that you can put around the cork, squeeze tight and then twist. Pop! And if in desperation, a nut cracker with its little tooth-like ridges can be used with a twist of the wrist to torque off the cork.
In summing up, remember that champagne is just wine that sparkles, so you don’t have to wait for special occasions to enjoy it. There are many fine champagnes made here in wineries along the Pacific Coast. One of the best champagne and wine clubs is Cellars Wine Club www.cellarswineclub.com, a good choice if one is hesitant, because Cellars has something for every taste and budget, as well as a “no bad bottle” return policy. And for all those nice accessories to go along with your champagne and wine experiences, try Home Wet Bar (homewetbar.com). They have a selection of 20 different champagne flutes.
Finally, I leave the last word to Coco Chanel, who was never wrong about fashion or what to drink.
“I only drink champagne on two occasions: when I am in love, and when I am not.”
All art images are in public domain. Famous quotes on champagne from “Ten Best Quotes on Champagne,” Town and Country Magazine, and the quote by Maurice Merleau-Ponty comes from Wikipedia on The Bar at the Folies Bergére.
Marjorie Vernelle is an artist, writer, college professor, and traveler. For more see the Pages at ofartandwine.com or her author page at amazon.com and her art at Vernelle Art Boutique vernelle.studio.com.
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©marjorie vernelle 2019
Coming soon on Of Art and Wine: Straight Out of Provence: Cezanne and Rosé
