Luncheon on the Grass

Revisiting Manet’s masterpiece Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe: It’s the same pose, a similar setting, but a few things are different. She doesn’t need the men; in fact, she doesn’t need anyone. She is happy and contented just as she is: self-assured, brimming with confidence, very comfortable in her 21st-century existence. Yet, a few things are disturbing. The croissant is fresh, but all the fruits are plastic. The sun appears threatening, looming too close, and perhaps it’s dying. The oxygen has been sucked out of the atmosphere. The darkness suggests an uncertain future, doom.