Room 41

A theatre, a river outing or a domestic interior could provide a new subject for painters of modern life. Look at the brushwork before deciding how finished a scene feels. Separate marks may become a face, fabric or reflected light as you step back. Manet and the Impressionists challenged the subjects and finishes accepted at official exhibitions. Their choices also depended on where they could go. Social expectations restricted women’s access to some public places, while artists such as Berthe Morisot and Eva Gonzalès made bold pictures of the lives available to them. Compare a scene of leisure with the attention paid to light and colour across its surface.