Situated above eye level on the wall across the gallery, and behind the viewers once they enter the exhibit, Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe rests uneasily. The guests of the exhibit have to crane their necks upward to view the picture, creating an awkward tension between the viewer and the painting. On the surface, the painting depicts a nude woman sitting nonchalantly with two clothed, male counterparts. But more than just a dichotomy between nude and clothed, the woman’s skin possesses a pasty, starkly white tone, while the men have more neutral skin tones, causing her to unnaturally stand out from her environment. And while the woman poses nonchalantly, she stares intently. She gazes directly out of the painting. While her counterparts look off in various directions, the woman casts an inquisitive look that falls beyond the viewer and on the woman in Triptych, Left Panel, directly across the
Situated above eye level on the wall across the gallery, and behind the viewers once they enter the exhibit, Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe rests uneasily. The guests of the exhibit have to crane their necks upward to view the picture, creating an awkward tension between the viewer and the painting. On the surface, the painting depicts a nude woman sitting nonchalantly with two clothed, male counterparts. But more than just a dichotomy between nude and clothed, the woman’s skin possesses a pasty, starkly white tone, while the men have more neutral skin tones, causing her to unnaturally stand out from her environment. And while the woman poses nonchalantly, she stares intently. She gazes directly out of the painting. While her counterparts look off in various directions, the woman casts an inquisitive look that falls beyond the viewer and on the woman in Triptych, Left Panel, directly across the