Édouard Manet
b. 1832, Paris; d. 1883, Paris
Woman in Striped Dress, ca. 1877–80
Oil on canvas
Though the sitter's identity is unknowable-as is the setting due to the blurring of boundaries between the interior and exterior-the real subject of the canvas seems to be the models striped dress, rendered in lavish detail, attesting to Manet's keen interest in women's fashion.
Between 2015 and 2018, the Guggenheim New York conducted extensive art historical research and scientific analysis, which culminated in a major treatment project that restored the painting's dry, sketchy finish. The dress, in particular, is now closer to its original blue-violet hues, which had been masked for many years by two varnish layers applied to the canvas at different moments after Manet's death.
They may look like brusque/quick strokes but look at the skill with that sheer! We were also told that art dealers would add ornate frames to otherwise controversial paintings to increase their respectability.