S bend

I am not entirely sure who should today be back to work. Clearly, the Met Office are not included, as what was supposed to be a dry few hours turned-out to be rainy.

Today's first listen was the Grateful Dead's 1970 album American Beauty, on which my favourite track was Candyman.

I had a choice of several famous Impressionist paintings today. I opted for Manet's A Bar at the Folies-Bergère (1882.) This is famous for its use of a large mirror. The viewer is in the position of a customer at the bar. In the mirror behind the bar is reflected a large crowd of people enjoying the famous nightclub.  A delightful detail is in the top left corner - the legs of a trapeze artist just inside the frame. They may have belonged to American artiste Katarina Johns, who performed at the Folies-Bergère in 1881.

To the right of the painting, we can see a reflection of the rear of the woman serving at the bar- Suzon, an actual barmaid, talking to a man in a top hat and with a stylish beard. This offset reflection is said to be impossible - and therefore probably a deliberate "trick" by Manet, who painted the picture in his studio using numerous sketches. 

On the bar top are numerous bottles of the drinks on offer. In addition to champagne, there are other drinks. Interestingly, (well, to me anyway) there are two bottles of an English Pale Ale - brewed by Bass in Burton-on Trent.  Their red triangle trademark is clearly shown.