The Ball at the Opera
1873
Manet captures the bustling, masked chaos of the Paris Opera Ball in 1873, a wild annual event where high society gentlemen rubbed elbows with costumed courtesans. The central figure in the top hat stands stiffly in his formal black suit, looking almost bewildered or perhaps bored by the swirling crowd of white dominoes and dark masks around him. It’s a brilliant, energetic snapshot of 19th-century nightlife, painted with loose brushstrokes that practically make the noise and movement of the party jump right off the canvas.
- Technique
- Oil on canvas
Location: National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
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