Example Of Points Of View Essay

The assignment is focused on exploring the various points of views that one can view artist Manet’s painting, A Bar at Folies-Bergère, painted between the years 1881-1882. Edouard Manet was a painter known for his style of painting as a realist and transitioning to one of the first impressionist painter’s. Manet was primarily focused on painting daily activities of people and the city.
A cartoonist, named Stop, drew a picture of Manet’s painting of A Bar at Folies-Bergère and released it to newspapers in Paris to point out the error in his painting. He joked that it was to correct the mistake made by the painters momentary distraction. However, the painting has many points of views that it can be looked at through, which is what is explained in the essay.
During the time period when the painting was done, people expected that the paintings must be somewhat realistic and have a believable representation. One of the viewpoints developed by art historians is formalism, which is a type of art that focuses on formal elements particularly the style. The next type of viewpoint is the iconography, which aims at looking for the meaning of the subject matter of the artwork. The biographical point of view examines the painting through connecting it with the artist’s life. Lastly, there is even a psychoanalytical point of view that one can use when viewing a piece of art. The psychoanalytical perspective shows the deeper psychological perspective of the painter with his painting.