RENOIR - 5

Today we appreciate Renoir's two other paintings in his dancing series...... 

Dancing in the Country - 1883

The couple is dancing under a chestnut tree.  The man is Renoir's friend, and the woman later becomes Renoir's wife.  The couple is painted life-size and occupies almost the whole painting.  

Notice the table in the background on the right, the hat on the ground and a pair of faces below the level of the dance floor.  See how he incorporates a dish of ice cream and the half-full glass.  The woman holds a fan in her right hand and faces the viewer. Does Renoir paint her holding a fan in one hand as if it were a symbol of her independence?   She doesn't take off her gloves, which portrays a barrier between her and her partner.  Renoir painted her with a full smile, depicting a very happy woman with a mouth curving upward in a pleasing smile.  The couple has just finished dinner, rising from their chairs spontaneously to dance to a familiar song, and their spontaneity is shown by the hat dropped in the foreground.  It appears that both dancers are lost in their own thoughts.  This painting is both romantic and energetic.  Don't you just love how Renoir painted the lady's dress?

The lady in this painting would become his future wife.  She was a seamstress, a working class girl.  Some years later, Renoir revealed to his son that his mother was a wonderful dancer:  "Your mother waltzed divinely.  I'm afraid I stepped all over her feet." 

Let's move on to Dance in the City, the third in Renoir's series of Dancers....

Dancing in the City - 1883

Dancing in the Country and Dancing in the City were designed to contrast with each other. The country depicts the merriment of a country dance, and the city depicts the elegant restraint of city dancers.  The setting of Dancing in the City is a high class Parisian establishment, for this is a "white ball," favored by the upper classes.  The painting is all about the woman, as the man is almost hidden from our view.  

There's a shimmering opulence to this scene.   The cut of the woman's dress reveals her back and shoulders.  Her partner is wearing formal evening wear and the tails of his long coat swish with the movement of the dance.  Both the man and woman wear white gloves, which makes the dance a more formal event, making sure that the man's bare hands do not touch the delicate skin of the lady.  Compare the clasp of hands to the couple in the Dance at Bougival that we studied yesterday.  This latter picture shows the couple with the lightest coupling of hands.  The lady's dress is made of white satin or silk taffeta, with lace, organza or chiffon trim around the neck and shoulders. The classical draping and lack of gaudy ornamentation bring out the lady's youthful glow.  Her styled hair is graced with a flower.

We must remember that outdoor dancing is much wilder than its ballroom counterpart.  In the country, men don't have to put on gloves.  The plants, trees and feelings are real.  The ballroom type, with its white columns, potted plants, controlled steps and orchestrated music, pales in comparison.     

Dance at Bougival (left) is located in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

Dance in in the City (center) is located in the Musee d'Orsay in Paris.

Dance in the Country (right) is located in the Musee d'Orsay in Paris.