Sheer Presence: The Veil in Manet’s Paris

Sheer Presence: The Veil in Manet’s Paris
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Tamarâ€™s instrument of seduction in the Hebrew Bible, Penelopeâ€™s shroud in Homerâ€™s Odyssey, accessory of brides as well as widows, and hallmark of the religious and the wealthy, the veil has historically been an intriguing signifier. Initially donned in France for liturgical purposes and later for masked balls and as a sun- and windscreen at the seashore, face-covering veils were adopted for fashionable urban use during the reign of Napoleon III. In Sheer Presence, Marni Reva Kessler demonstrates how this ubiquitous garment and its visual representations knot together many of the precepts of Parisian life. Considering the period from the beginning of Napoleon IIIâ€™s rule in 1852 to 1889, when the Paris Universal Exhibition displayed veiled North African Muslims and other indigenous colonial peoples, Kessler deftly connects the increased presence of the veil on the streets and on canvas to Haussmannâ€™s massive renovation of Paris. The fashion of veil wearing, she argues, was imbricated with broader concerns: fears of dust and disease fueled by Haussmannization and class mixing on the city streets, changes in ideals of youth and beauty, attempts to increase popular support for imperialism, and the development of modernist art practices. A veil was protection for the proper woman from the vices associated with the modern city, preservingÂ—at least on the surfaceÂ—her femininity and class superiority. Kessler explores these themes with close readings of paintings by Gustave Caillebotte, Edgar Degas, and Edouard ManetÂ—including Manetâ€™s perplexing portraits of artist Berthe MorisotÂ—as well as photographs, images from the popular press, engravings, lithographs, and academic paintings. She also mines French fashion journals, etiquette books, novels, and medical publications for clues to the veilâ€™s complex meanings during the period. Positioning the veil directly at the intersection of feminist, formalist, and social art history, Kessler offers a fresh perspective on period discourses of public health, seduction and sexuality, colonial stereotypes, and, ultimately, an emerging modernity. Marni Reva Kessler is assistant professor of art history at the University of Kansas.
Country USA
Brand University of Minnesota Press
Manufacturer Univ Of Minnesota Press
Binding Paperback
ItemPartNumber Refer to Sapnet.
ReleaseDate 2007-01-10
UnitCount 1
EANs 9780816647828

Country	USA
Brand	University of Minnesota Press
Manufacturer	Univ Of Minnesota Press
Binding	Paperback
ItemPartNumber	Refer to Sapnet.
ReleaseDate	2007-01-10
UnitCount	1
EANs	9780816647828

Sheer Presence: The Veil in Manet’s Paris

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