Édouard Manet, French
“Begging Your Pardon, Sir, But I Don’t Even Know What a WiFi Password IS. Are You Sure You’re in the Right Painting?,” 1882
Oil on canvas
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/// At A Bar at the Folies-Bergère,
barmaid Suzon can’t hide her despair.
She just served too much booze
to a clown in green shoes
who now swings a trapeze in mid-air.
(Upper left corner of the painting.)
// Just as Palais Garnier featured singers,
and at Notre Dame one found bell-ringers,
the Folies-Bergère
is the location where
randy Frenchmen could go to find swingers.
/// Her unsmiling expression reveals
the conflicting emotions she feels.
Sad Suzon’s close to tears;
competition breeds fears.
Her best clients have bargained for deals.
/// The long mirror in back shows the blur
of the crowd, plus one nearby Monsieur.
With beer and Bass Pale Ale,
Suzon’s also for sale,
(but that’s no bad reflection on her).
/// Some have claimed Manet shows “bad perspective.”
And that glass? Incorrectly reflective.
But some photos were taken
which leave that theory shaken.
It is accurate. (“Bad” is subjective.)
/// Toulouse-Lautrec frequented bars
where performers were virtual stars.
While here at the Folies
He met girls très jolie,
who don’t care if he smoked foul cigars.
/// With “low women” Lautrec would consort.
(They’d demand to be paid for their “sport.”)
“May I paint you for free
as a part of your fee?
Sorry, girls, I’m a little bit short.”