The Illusion Behind Manet's Final Painting

This piece, called A Bar at the Folies-Bergère by Édouard Manet, is considered one of the most puzzling works of all time. It takes place in The Folies-Bergère, a popular music hall in Paris, in the late 19th century. The center of the piece is a barmaid named Suzon, who has an ambiguous look on her face. This painting is full of spatial and optical mysteries. Who is the man in the mirror? Why isn’t he in front of us? Why does Suzon look so different in the mirror than the woman standing in front of us? What is she feeling? Thank you for watching!

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Credits:
image of painting from The Courtauld Institute of Art
cloud special effect from Vecteezy