PIERRE-AUGUSTE RENOIR - 1

Today we're going to tip the canoe and fall into the colorful waters of French painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir (ren-waar).   He was another leader in the development of Impressionism (1841-1919).

 In the summer of 1869, Renoir painted for two months alongside Monet outside Paris.  In the mid-1870s Renoir painted Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette, his most important work shown at the Impressionist exhibition in 1877.  His aim  was to convey the lively atmosphere of this popular outdoor dance garden in Paris.  

Dance at the Moulin de la Galette - 1876

These open-air dances were held every Sunday, starting in the early afternoon and carrying on until midnight.  Working-class Parisians dressed up and spent time dancing, drinking and eating galettes (guh-let) into the evening.  A galette is a French pastry similar to a tart or pie.  The edges of the galette are folded over the center filling, leaving a wide opening from which the filling can be seen.  

The framing of the scene, in which the figures at the sides are cut off, gives the impression that it continues beyond its boundary, thus presenting a slice of reality.  Note how he captured the mottled effects caused by the light filtering through the trees.  We can see this especially on the back of the man in the foreground and of the dress of the woman seated next to him.  Also, the couple dancing on the left marked by spots of light fragmented into areas of pink and blue.

Renoir was known for creating joyful paintings...snapshots of real life.  Dance scenes were among his favorites, as they were filled with people enjoying themselves.  The Moulin de la Galette was one Cafe that Renoir frequently visited, as it was close to his home and it provided an ideal theme for his work.

While Renoir and Monet worked together, they discovered that shadows are not brown or black, but are colored by the objects around them.  The 'local color' of objects is modified by the light and reflections of surrounding objects. 

In this picture, Renoir bathes the figures in both sun and shadow and spots of natural and artificial light.  The sunlight contrasts well with the dark clothing, and the bright brushstrokes add movement to the painting.  

We are learning that Monet and Renoir were both masters of Impressionism, but it's important we learn how their paintings differed.

1.  Monet painted mostly landscapes, while Renoir often painted people in outdoor landscapes.

2.  Renoir adopted a closer viewpoint to emphasize the figures in his paintings.

3.  Monet used broad, disjointed brushstrokes, while Renoir used more refined, clearer brushstrokes.

4.  Renoir experimented with indistinct wiggling strokes called teaches (tash), French for spots, to create subtle coloration.

Renoir was only 13 years of age when he started an apprenticeship at a workshop painting decorations on porcelain cups and plates.  During these years, he learned a lot about colors and drawing. 

During the late 1860s, Renoir and Monet painted lovely scenes from the rural area of Argenteuil, a suburb of Paris.  They'd paint the same scene, but from slightly different angles.  One example of this is the painting of The Frog Pond.  Both artists created paintings that allow us to see the subtle differences in technique.  The two of them spent a lot of time at the frog pond, working side by side on their own canvases.

   

The Frog Pond
Claude Monet 

The Frog Pond
Pierre-Auguste Renoir