Music in the Tuileries

Music in the Tuileries, painted by Édouard Manet in 1862, shows a crowd of Parisians gathered in the Tuileries gardens near the Louvre during the weekly public concerts held there under the Second Empire. Notably, no musicians appear. The painting focuses on the atmosphere of the gathering, with music and conversation only suggested, so that the viewer can almost imagine the sound of the concert.

The canvas is an early example of Manet's painterly style, which relies on thick brushstrokes and patches of colour rather than the finely finished surfaces expected in academic painting. This approach unsettled many viewers and critics, who found the work crude and unfinished, and some visitors reportedly threatened to destroy it. Instead of classical heroes, historical scenes or mythological figures, Manet chose people from his own circle: artists, writers, musicians and his brother Eugène, along with a self-portrait at the far left. Several figures are recognisable portraits, among them Charles Baudelaire, Théophile Gautier and the composer Jacques Offenbach. It has also been noted that several of those depicted were prominent French supporters of Wagner, and it has been speculated that the music played might have been by him, though this remains uncertain.

The painting matters because it points forward to Manet's lasting interest in leisure and modern urban life. Many regard it as an early milestone on the road to Impressionism, and its influence can be seen in Monet, Renoir and Bazille, who soon painted similar group scenes. Period details, such as the iron chairs that had only just replaced wooden ones in the garden, anchor the scene firmly in its moment.

Painter

Édouard Manet

Date

1862

Medium

oil paint, canvas

Dimensions

76 × 118 cm

Museum

Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin

Genre

genre art

Depicts

Tuileries Garden

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