Famous Art for the Pandemic – & Life

Update 03 July 2025: This post was initially published during the 2020/2021 COVID pandemic. As an art history professor, world traveler and lover of great art and art museums, I set out to connect famous art with what was going on in the world around us. First posted on Face Book, it moved into the creation of this website. Click here for additional postings on a Year in the Life of the Pandemic.

“Vase of Peonies on a Pedestal”

Edouard Manet, French, Realist/Impressionist, 1864

I was led to this painting by Manet in 2020 while my own peonies bloomed!  I was so excited because my peonies often skip years and 2020 had a bumper crop. Sadly, they took a “skip year” during 2021. But I still have my 2020 photos to enjoy!

Manet’s Peonies

Manet (not to be confused with Monet) was a French painter whose work bridged the eras of Realism in the mid-18^th century to the new, controversial era of Impressionism at the end of the century.  He experienced the artistic and cultural influences of two significant and distinct art worlds: the classical traditions of painting and the new frontiers of modern art. 

One interesting thing about this still life of a vase of peonies is that there are also fallen, browning petals lying on the table, defying the perfectionism sought by art critics of his time who were striving for perfection—and which is why they were so upset with the impressionist painters—who painted “impressions” of their subject! 

My Peonies

My photograph of “Peonies in a Vase” are from an heirloom bush transplanted from the garden of my paternal grandma decades ago.  They remind me of the wonderful times I spent with her during my growing up years!  She was an amazing, strong woman who lived to be 107 ½ years old! Yikes! 

Manet’s “Vase of Peonies” can be seen at the Musée d’Orsay, Paris. (m.musee-orsay.fr/en)

Cher’s “Vase with Peonies” is available for a limited time in St. Paul, Minnesota! (June 2020)

Thanks for letting me share this post with you. If you enjoyed it, please let me know with a simple “LIKE” in the space below. Encouraging comments are also always welcome. Thanks, ~Cher

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