Digital Reconstruction of A Bar at the Folies-Bergère

Instead of "painting" a photograph, I decided to colour and animate one of my favourite paintings. Experimenting with AI, 3D software and photo compositing techniques I recreated Manet's A Bar at the Folies-Bergère.

Originally painted in 1882 and exhibited at the Paris Salon that year, Manet’s painting depicts a barmaid standing in front of a mirror. The woman at the bar was a real person, known as Suzon, who worked at the Folies-Bergère. The oranges beside her was a trope that Manet used to associate the women with prostitution. 

As I recreated the woman in my version, I wanted to engage with the viewer by bringing Suzon to life. Looking at the completed 3D portrait, I can imagine stepping back in time and being served a glass of absinthe at the bar.