I’ve written before about how Manet liked to paint yellow gloves, but today I’d like to take my interest in Manet’s sunny colors a step further.

Manet often used yellow or orange to create a spark in a painting. Those might not be the colors we first associate with the artist, but they occur over and over in his paintings. Just take a look at the slideshow below. I present the full painting first, and then show the yellow or orange details from the painting.

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In my heart, I believe Manet gave yellow and orange to people he loved. I don’t think there are any paintings of Berthe Morisot with splashes of orange or yellow, though, so perhaps my idea is just foolish.