If you love Impressionism, you won’t want to miss these incredible Renoir paintings.
The scene shows a typical afternoon at the Moulin de la Galette in the Paris' Montmartre district.
In this case, the couple is Suzanne Valadon and Paul Lhote, two of Renoir’s friends.
Left: Pierre-Auguste Renoir, c. 1910 (Photo: Dornac viaWikipedia CommonsPublic Domain | Right: Pierre-Auguste Renoir, “Bal du moulin de la Galette,” 1876 (Photo: Musée d’Orsay viaWikimedia CommonsPublic Domain)
The artist captures their spirit as they dance at an open-air cafe in the suburban town of Bougival.
He also captures the flushed cheeks of the couple, signaling their passion and excitement.
These wool balls not only play a compositional role, but they’re important to the color palette.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, “Bal du moulin de la Galette,” 1876 (Photo: Musée d’Orsay viaWikimedia CommonsPublic Domain)
Renoir would mix and dilute the pure pigment used for the wool throughout the entire painting.
Interestingly, though the girls are meant to be sisters, they actually aren’t related.
This included a period in Italy, where he took in paintings byTitianandRaphael.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir “Luncheon of the Boating Party” (1880-1881) (Photo: The Phillips Collection viaGoogle Arts & CulturePublic Domain)
The figures have a classic, sculptural quality, while the landscape retains more of the loose Impressionist brushstrokes.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir “Dance at Bougival” (1883) (Photo: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston viaWikipedia CommonsPublic Domain)
Pierre-Auguste Renoir “Two Sisters (On the Terrace)” (1881) (Photo: Art Institute of Chicago viaWikipedia CommonsPublic Domain)
Pierre-Auguste Renoir “The Large Bathers” (1884-1887) (Photo: Philadelphia Art Museum viaGoogle Art ProjectPublic Domain)
