OK, I got a bit confused when talking about Monet and Manet. I do know the difference, I do. The Orsay is having a major Manet retrospective with paintings and drawings brought in from all over. So many works make it fascinating to follow the growth of the artist through different periods and evolving mind sets. And all the most famous pictures are here: Olympia, Le Dejeuner sur L'herbe, the Fifer. Manet portraits trouble you in different ways. Sometimes the model challenges you with her gaze while another seems anchored in a very private world. I like them.
The Orsay is only partially open for visitors; one floor is under renovation as a new home for the Impressionist and post-Impressionist paintings and sculptures. For now, they're in what I hope are temporary quarters on the ground floor. As a consequence, the paintings plus a few sculptures are assembled like patrons in a Parisien cafe: in very close proximity. Seeing so many wonderful different paintings affected me such that I lay awake last night while their colors and images continued to occupy my brain.
I still love Cezanne, but I'm fascinated by the stylized work of the Nabis. (Picture to come...I hope.)
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