Pierre-Auguste Renoir's paintings, as we will see, were of friends, family, landscapes and scenes from the parks and gardens of Paris. Let's look for the way he used bold combinations of pure complementary colors to capture light, shadow and movement. Renoir once said, "Why shouldn't art be pretty? There are enough unpleasant things in the world."
The son of a tailor and a seamstress, Renoir had a talent for decorative effect that brought him to the attention of a number of wealthy patrons for whom he painted picture hangings and decorations for ladies' fans and other luxury objects. These early successes fed his desire to leave the ceramic factory and pursue fine art painting.
I am not familiar with Renoir's works, so my aim is to showcase a few of his 4,000 paintings. One of the things about art, as I'm learning, is the way color is used to create the atmosphere of the moment. Blue is the main character in this painting.
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| La Balancoire - The Swing - 1876 |
If we look closely, we see a young man from the back talking to a young lady standing on a swing, watched by a little girl and another man who is leaning against the trunk of the tree. Renoir gives us the impression of a surprising conversation, he catches the glances toward the man seen from the back. The lady is looking away as if she's embarrassed. The group of four in the foreground is balanced by the group of five figures sketchily brushed in the background.
Renoir catches the effect of sunlight dappled by foliage and the patches of pale color on the clothing and the ground. The lady's dress with blue bows and hat adds charm to the painting. The bows caught my attention first. The blue bows on the dress seem to replicate butterflies flying about white puffy clouds. The little girl waits her turn on the swing, but she might have to wait a while!
From 1860-1870, ladies fashions had become accessible to the public for the first time. Beautiful dresses were not just for the rich and the royal, but were affordable to the working class, as well. I'm finding art to be a fascinating teacher of social history.
My eyes noticed the bows first. My thought was "what a pretty dress". Then I noticed the swing, then the young man, then the child, in that order. Makes me wonder in what order Renoir meant for us to. I like the blues.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, at first I didn't notice the swing. The dress caught my eye. Just goes to show how a person must look closely at a painting to see all that the painter has included. I kinda think Renoir meant for us to notice the blue bows. That's make that the focal point, right?
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