The Balcony #2

 The Balcony was painted in 1868 by Edouard Manet.  The medium is oil on canvas and this painting was exhibited at the Paris Salon.  This painting depicts five figures, on the left is Berthe Morisot, who eventually became the wife of Manet's brother and right underneath her there is a dog.  In the center is the painter Jean Baptiste Antoine Guillemet.  On the right is Fanny Claus, a violinist, and the fourth figure who is in the back left is Leon Leenhoff, who is Manet's son. With the five figures in the picture, the main subject of this painting is Fanny Claus, who is on the right.  While everyone in the picture almost seem disconnected from each other, Claus seems to be almost looking directly at her audience, which are the viewers of this painting.  The reason why I chose this painting is because while I was reading about it, I learned that this painting drew much attention because of the aggressive and bold green of the balcony.  I also read that this painting, because of the contrast of colors (black background, white faces/clothes, blue tie of the man, and the green balcony), creates an atmosphere of mystery.