Shrouded in a halo of air dress, with a barely noticeable bouquet of violets in her hands, Bert Morisot looks with a melancholic gaze from the balcony and from one of the most famous paintings of Edward Mane. This impressionist artist went against public opinion and deserved recognition. But not only this attracted Manet to her: the girl was pretty and soon became one of the favorite models of the painter.
The acquaintance took place in 1868. Edward Manet was struck at first sight by the extraordinary beauty and artistic talent of Bertha. He did not hesitate to offer the girl to become a model. She agreed – and as a result more than 10 of her portraits were born.
Manet had a lot of influence on the work of Morisot, although he was not her mentor. He introduced Bertha into the circle of impressionist artists, and sometimes she only with her presence softened the hot creative debates that could have reached hand-to-hand.
Morisot was very jealous when Manet painted other women, she was irritated by their presence in his workshop. However, despite the mutual attraction to each other, a serious relationship did not arise between the artist and his beloved model: Man had a family, and his mother always accompanied Bertha on sessions of posing. When the finished work was presented at the Salon in 1869, Morisot was called the femme fatale. At the same time, she herself found herself rather strange in the image of Manet.
The deep black color of the dress contrasts with the young beautiful face of the woman. The portrait of Bert looks somewhat sad and melancholic. Manet specifically made the background light and monotonous, so that the viewer would not be distracted by the contemplation of her expressive features. If you look closely at the dress, you can see: its contours are filled with even strokes so that you can barely notice the distinct folds.
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