Bazille's Studio

Painted in 1870 and now at the Musée d'Orsay, 'Bazille's Studio' is the most important single document of the proto-Impressionist circle before its dissolution by the Franco-Prussian War. The rue de la Condamine studio is shown with Manet, Monet, Renoir, Zola, and the musician Maître visible alongside works by Bazille and Monet on the walls. Bazille painted himself in a cameo role, while Manet—in a gesture of friendship—added Bazille's own portrait to the composition after Bazille's death in 1870. The painting was acquired by Manet and eventually entered the Musée d'Orsay. It constitutes a deliberate, self-aware group portrait of the movement at its origins.

The large canvas is structured around the studio's interior space, with natural light from high windows creating an even, diffuse illumination. Figures are painted with varying degrees of finish—some individuated, some broadly indicated—and numerous paintings-within-the-painting provide a visual inventory of contemporary production.