This portrait by Edouard Manet shows why it is believed that he crossed the gap between realism and impressionism. During his life Manet considered himself to be a realist painter, but he had a very different style. Often times it was not well received by art critics. It was the younger artists, that became impressionist painters, that liked Manet's work.
Manet was first taught by Thomas Couture, a realist painter; only Manet quickly switched to his own style once he was on his own. He liked to draw and paint from reality, without thinly layering up the paint. The style he utilized is called alla prima. Part of Manet's style was to let the public see the layers of his painting. Manet was also friends with a photographer and often times this allowed him to capture the moment of what he wanted to paint.
It is said that Manet used photography as an aid to create portraits. This may have been one of those, since it would appear that the woman is looking over her shoulder for a brief moment. In this painting in-particular you can see the two things that stuck with Manet from his teacher, the use of bold lines, and darker colors. This painting looks more impressionistic since it has more flat areas of color. The only part that is realistic is the attention to proportions of the woman's body.
Citation
Rabinow, Rebecca. "Édouard Manet (1832–1883)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/mane/hd_mane.htm (October 2004)
Artble. www.artble.com. Artble, n/a. Web. 23 June 2013.
The Samuel Courtauld Trust. www.artandarchitecture.org.uk. The Courtauld Institute of Art, 2013. Web. 23 June 2013.
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