Pierre Auguste Renoir

Pierre Auguste Renoir (“Ren-WAH”) 1841-1919 ! French Impressionist Painter

The French painter Pierre Auguste Renoir was Vocabulary one of the leading members of the Impressionist movement. He began his career in a Parisian Complementary colors—Colors that are porcelain factory gaining experience with light, opposite each other on the color wheel (red and fresh colors that were to distinguish his green, blue and orange, yellow and violet). When Impressionist work. When he was 21, he entered placed next to each other, both complementary the Paris studio of artist Charles Gleyre, and colors seem brighter and stronger, providing became friends with fellow students Claude emphasis for each and creating a visual vibration Monet, Alfred Sisley, and Frederic Bazille. In the or glow. 1860s Renoir and his friends joined with other avant-garde artists to form a loose knit group Impressionism—A style of art, originating in known as the Impressionists. Paris in the 1860s, in which the main idea was to show changes in the light, color or actions of Renoir was particularly interested in people and scenes with quick brush strokes of color. often painted his friends. His paintings of beautiful Impressionists had two fundamental concerns: women, lovely children, lush landscapes and depicting modern life and painting in the open air. lighthearted picnics and dances reflected his Although their artistic styles and aims were not celebration of natural beauty and the French uniform, as a group they rejected the standard of leisure life in the countryside and cafés of Paris. the day as dictated by the Salon, the officially Renoir masterfully rendered the shimmering approved group of artists. interplay of light and color on surfaces using small dabs of pure color.

Following a trip to Algiers and Italy in 1881, Renoir became dissatisfied with the formal restrictions of Art Elements pure Impressionism. In response, he employed a crisper, drier style using less vivid colors. After the Color—The sensation resulting from reflection or mid-1880s, he developed a softer, more supple absorption of light by a surface. Color has three approach, and turned from contemporary subjects properties: hue, which is the name of the color; to more timeless ones, particularly nudes. value, which is the lightness or darkness of the Although stricken with rheumatoid arthritis, which color; and intensity, which refers to the purity of confined him to a wheelchair by the age of 69, he the hue. Renoirʼs paintings are filled with pure continued to paint right up to the day he died in hues, complementary color contrasts, and 1919. His paintings of nude female figures, with contrasts between warm colors (yellows, oranges, their timeless feeling and lustrous skin tones, had reds) and cool colors (greens, blues, violets). the greatest impact on future generations. Even at the end, his paintings reflected the serenity he Shape—An area that is contained within an found in doing his lifeʼs work. implied line and defined or identified by color or value changes. Shapes have two dimensions, length and width, and can be geometric (triangles, rectangles, circles) or organic (found in nature, such as leaves, trees, mountains, clouds, animals, etc.) Contrasts of color define the shapes in Renoirʼs paintings, and often shapes are created primarily by colors applied in broken brushstrokes.

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Art Principles

Rhythm/Repetition—The visual movement of elements (color, shape, line, value, space, texture) or the visual equivalent of a musical rhythm. Rhythm is created by the repetition of elements that are the same or nearly the same in regular sequence. Repetition of colors and shapes create rhythm in Renoirʼs paintings, as well as adding visual excitement and a sense of liveliness.

Contrast—Refers to differences in values, colors, textures, shapes and other elements. Contrasts create visual excitement and add interest to a work. In his paintings, Renoir contrasted light values with dark values, and warm colors with cool colors (often complementary).

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Biography standards for Salon acceptance and the new styles of art were evident when the Emperor, Napoleon III, decreed that the thousands of rejected works of art were to be shown at an alternative Salon--the Salon des Refusés. This one-time show exhibited examples of a more modern art, including new, “looser” painting techniques and subject matter of modern landscapes and contemporary views of Parisian life.

Renoirʼs first submission to the Salon was in 1864. His entry, entitled “Esmeralda Dancing with a Goat” (taken from Victor Hugoʼs novel Notre- Dame de Paris) was accepted because its subject matter was favored by the Salon jury. Although he continued to submit paintings for the next several years, his works were rejected, and he became irritated by the academic atmosphere of the Salon, believing that the fixed rules of academic painting were too restrictive. Pierre Auguste Renoir was born in Limoges, France on February 25, 1841, the sixth child of a During the late 1860s, Renoir often found himself tailor. When Renoir was four years old, the family in the company of the friends he met while a moved to Paris, to a humble apartment that was student. He and Claude Monet often painted near the Louvre. He showed a talent for drawing together, with Monet leading the charge to paint at an early age, using his fatherʼs tailorʼs chalk to outdoors. Monet was absorbed with the exact sketch portraits of his family on the floors and analysis of the colors in light and shadow as seen walls of the family home. At the age of 13, he in bright daylight, and this influenced Renoirʼs own became an apprentice in a porcelain factory in work for more than a decade. The landscapes Paris, painting designs on china. Soon, however, they painted combined all the elements that would improvements in porcelain technology made later define the Impressionist movement. The hand-painting uneconomical, and Renoir spent subject matter was ordinary people enjoying another year or two painting on fans, lampshades, leisurely pastimes. More often than not, the scene and blinds. At the age of 21, he resolved to study was near water, as the reflections on the surface art more seriously, and he enrolled in the Ecole of water embodied the momentary and fleeting des Beaux-Arts (the College of Fine Arts), and light sensations the artists sought to capture. entered the Paris studio of the Swiss painter Finally, traditional modeling and the definition of Charles Gleyre. In Gleyreʼs studio, Renoir met forms by contour lines were abandoned in favor of Claude Monet, Alfred Sisley and Frederic Bazille, quickly applied touches of color, a technique that who were also students and who were to play a was the logical development of the artistsʼ desire vital role in his development as an artist. to work quickly to capture the scene in front of their eyes before it changed. Renoir began his career at a time when being successful meant having oneʼs paintings accepted By 1874, after years of rejection by the official at the Salon, Franceʼs annual artistic showcase. Salon, Renoir and his friends joined together to Paintings accepted for exhibit at the Salon were mount an exhibition of their own, in defiance of the traditionally immaculately finished, and based on art establishment. It was held in the studio of historical, religious, mythological or literary Parisian photographer, Paul Nadar, and was subjects. In 1863, the gap between the official scheduled to open two weeks before the official

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Pierre Auguste Renoir

Salon. Renoir helped to organize the show, wrote to a friend, “I am going to paint outdoor supervising the hanging of the paintings and pictures in the studio.” overseeing financial arrangements. It was at this exhibition that the term “Impressionism” was first Unlike many of his artist friends who frequented used by an art critic, but not in a complimentary the Montmarte cabaret scene, Renoir lived a way. The exhibit was a critical, as well as financial quiet, settled life. He was looking for a simple disaster, but with the help of art dealer, Paul woman with no intellectual pretensions who would Durand-Ruel, Impressionist exhibits were again devote herself entirely to his well-being. Following attempted in 1876 and 1877. One of Renoirʼs his trip abroad, he settled down with Aline early masterpieces, “Le Bal au Moulin de la Charigot, a young dressmaker who had been his Galette,” an open-air scene of a café with its model during the 1880s. They had a child in 1885, daring effects of broken sunlight, was included in and following their marriage in 1890, Aline had 2 the 1876 exhibit. These exhibitions were again more sons (Jean, born in 1894, became a famous met with hostility and abuse from the critics, but film director). courageous art dealers, such as Durand-Ruel, continued to support the Impressionists, including In the late 1880s, Renoir was chiefly preoccupied Renoir. by the human figure, and began a series of female nudes. These paintings reveal his extraordinary By the late 1870s, Renoir gained critical ability to depict the lustrous, pearly color and recognition and achieved financial security for the texture of skin, and to impart a lyrical feeling to his first time in his life, largely through his friendship subjects, removing them from any specific time or with the wealthy publisher, George Charpentier. place. These were the works that had the greatest Charpentier and his wife hosted “salons” at which impact on subsequent generations. They were Renoir was introduced to many leading figures of created without the slightest hint of lust, rather the political, literary and artistic world. Charpentier with a chaste sensuousness that was natural and commissioned Renoir to paint a portrait of his wife naive. and children, and the painting was accepted at the Salon of 1879. It was prominently hung through During the last 20 years of his life, Renoir was the influence of Mme. Charpentier, and became crippled by rheumatoid arthritis and confined a Renoirʼs first major critical success. wheelchair. Although he was unable to move his hands freely and needed an assistant to place his By the early 1880s, Renoir began to feel that the brush in his hand, he was able to paint until his tenets of Impressionism had become as restrictive death. Photos showing what look like straps as those of the academic establishment. With his securing the brush to his hand are simply newfound prosperity, he was able to fulfill a desire bandages applied to reduce skin irritation. Renoir to travel and make further study of the masters. died at Cagnes, a village in the south of France, He made two trips; first to North Africa, where the on December 3, 1919 at the age of 78. scorching sun and wealth of colors attracted him, and then to Italy, where he was able to study the sound drawing and composition of the classic Bibliography: tradition which he felt had been sacrificed by Impressionism. Returning to France, Renoir spent Microsoft® Encarta ʻ97 his time with stylistic experiments. He exhibited very little and accepted only a few portrait Renoir, by Patrick Bade, © 1992, Studio Editions Ltd., commissions. He painted outdoors less and less, London preferring to sketch a scene and then complete the painting in his studio. Despite returning to the Renoir, by Walter Pach, © 1983, Harry N. Abrams, Inc., studio and to traditional methods of composing New York and preparing a picture, he continued to paint with the sunlit colors of an Impressionistʼs palette. He

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The Presentation

1. Self-Portrait 1910, oil on canvas, 16-3/4” x 13-1/4”, private collection

Renoir painted this self-portrait at the age of 69. His rheumatoid arthritis had become painful and he was confined to a wheelchair, but he continued to paint with a paintbrush strapped to his rigid fingers. This painting contains strong complementary color contrasts, with the orange hues of his jacket placed next to the blue of the background and the orange and blue that create the shadows and creases of his white hat.

Color contrasts also define the shapes in this painting. The shape of his white hat stands out in contrast to the dark blue of the background and the dark hues of his face. His white beard stands out in contrast to the similar hues of What two contrasting his dark skin and his jacket. Can the students see the geometric shape complementary colors did Renoir use here?! created by his face and beard?

2. Sailboats at Argenteuil or The Seine at Argenteuil 1873, oil on canvas, 20” x 26”, Portland Art Museum, Oregon

In this painting, which is part of the permanent collection of the Portland Art Museum, Renoir created a work that represents the very definition of Impressionism—a scene of modern life, painted out of doors to capture the effects of light and color. Renoir, along with his friend, Monet, set up his easel and painted the scene of people enjoying a leisurely afternoon along the Seine River near Monetʼs home. Quick dabs of horizontally applied color What repeating shapes capture the movements of sailboats and sunlight reflected off the water. create rhythm here?!

Contrasts of hues define the shapes of the sailboats. To capture the movement of the water, Renoir used the complementary colors orange and blue placed side by side to create a visual vibration that makes the sailboatsʼ reflections shimmer. The repetition of the triangular shapes of the sails throughout the painting creates a rhythm that moves the eye around the scene.

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3. La Loge 1874, oil on canvas, 31” x 25”, Courtauld Institute Galleries, London

Unlike most of the Impressionists, Renoir preferred painting people to painting landscapes, and he preferred people enjoying leisure pastimes. This painting was shown at the first Impressionist exhibition in 1874 and received negative criticism because of the loose brushwork. However, Renoir still felt it was well painted (his brother, Edmond, was the male model).

Although the womanʼs face is delicately modeled, all other shapes are created with quick dabs of color. This creates a textural contrast between the smooth appearance of her face and the feathery textures elsewhere in the painting. Her hands are painted with smooth strokes but the pair of opera glasses in her Where is the area of right hand is painted with quick strokes of color that give only the impression of greatest contrast?! their shape. The flowers on her bodice are also created with quick feathery brush strokes, again simply giving the impression of their shape.

The contrasting repeating stripes of black and white through her dress create a rhythm that moves our eye through the painting. This contrast of black and white continues with the man seated behind, with the black shoulder of his jacket contrasting with the white of his shirt; the white of his gloves contrasts with his black sleeves, and also with the black opera glasses he holds in his hands; the white hue of his face contrasts with the dark feathery strokes that create his beard.

Fun Fact: A loge is a theater box.

4. Girl with Watering Can 1876, oil on canvas, 40” x 29-3/8”, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

Renoir loved to paint children. He had a finely developed feeling for the rosy complexion of a childʼs skin, for the purity and gentleness of their eyes, and for their innocent self-confidence. In several of his works, including this one, he painted children at their own eye level, so the viewer saw their world as they saw it.

The figure of the girl--her features, her clothing, her hair--have all been created with dabs of color. The shape of her dress is created, not by smooth modeling, but by the contrast of the dark blue cloth against the lighter values behind her and beneath her feet. The lace on her dress is suggested by dabs of lighter color contrasting with the dark blue. The flowers in her hand, the roses in the foreground, and the flowers in the background have all been created with feathery brush strokes. What type of brush- strokes do you see?! Renoir has used complementary colors in this painting to create a visual vibration that makes the scene come alive. Orange and blue highlights create the texture of the path at the young girlʼs feet, while red and green dabs suggest the flowers in the background. The red repeats in the young girlʼs hair ribbon, contrasting with the dark green background. The repetition of red continues across the top of the painting, and bottom left, creating a rhythm that helps to move the eye around the painting.

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5. The Swing 1876, oil on canvas, 36-3/4” x 29-1/4”, Musée dʼOrsay, Paris

This painting shows Renoirʼs fascination with the effects of sunlight. Here the sunlight is filtered through the trees above, creating light and shadow on the scene. Many contemporary critics found this to be a disturbing feature, one of them commenting that “the sunlight effects are combined in such a bizarre fashion that they look like spots of grease on the modelʼs clothes.”

Renoir used color to create the shapes in this painting. Although there is some smooth modeling of the shape of the man in the foreground, dabs of lighter values create the effects of filtered sunlight on his shoulders. The woman on the swing is painted in loose, feathery strokes of color, with dabs of blue, violet, yellow, pink and white creating the effect of sunlight and shadow on her dress. How did Renoir paint Renoir also used complementary colors to create the effects of light and shadow the filtered sunlight? on the path behind the woman. On the swing, dabs of orange, along with dabs of white, simulate the dappled patches of sunlight on the blue path. Renoir used violet to create shadow on the complementary yellow straw hats of the gentlemen in the foreground.

The contrast between the dark shade in the background and the womanʼs sunlit dress gives her emphasis. Also, repeated dabs of bright values contrast with the darker values surrounding them, and create a rhythm that moves our eye through the painting.

Fun Fact: Renoir saw beauty in every part of the world around him, even in simple, seemingly uninteresting, scenes. He truly loved to paint, and did so every day of his life, completing about 6000 paintings.

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6. SCANNING: Le Moulin de la Galette 1876, oil on canvas, 51-1/2” x 68-7/8”, Musée dʻOrsay, Paris

This was the largest and most ambitious canvas Renoir attempted during the 1870s, while he was most involved with the Impressionist movement. The Impressionistsʼ insistence on painting out of doors usually restricted them to smaller canvases and simpler compositions. To attempt such a complicated composition on such a large canvas was truly remarkable. The resulting painting captured an interrupted moment, like a snapshot of the scene frozen in time, as if the viewer were a participant in the revelry. Le Moulin de la Galette was an open air dance hall in central Paris. It was a meeting place for artists and students, and this painting shows a youthful joie de vivre, Where did Renoir use complementary with groups of young men and woman relaxing and passing colors next to each other and why? the time on a sunny afternoon.

The whole scene is dappled with sunlight and shade, artfully blurred into the figures themselves to produce the effects of fleeting light which so fascinated the Impressionists. Compare Renoirʼs rendering of dappled sunlight in this painting to that of the previous slide (he painted both paintings simultaneously, working on “The Swing” in the mornings, and moving on to “Le Moulin de la Galette” in the afternoons). Bright dabs of color, on the shoulders of the man seated on the yellow chair to the right, create the effects of sunlight shining through the leaves of the trees. Sunlight falls on the dancing couple to the left, with dabs of bright color on their shoulders contrasting with areas of shadow on their clothing. Complementary colors are used to create the effects of shading: streaks of violet create the shaded effects on the yellow hats of the gentlemen; orange and blue create the highlight and shadows on the dress of the woman dancer to the left. Renoir used repeated shapes through this painting to create a rhythm that moves our eye around the scene. The shapes of the light fixtures repeat across the top of the painting. The bright faces of the crowd repeat around the scene, from the pleasant smiles of the people in the foreground, to the indistinct bright dabs of color representing faces in the background.

Fun Fact: “Le Moulin de la Galett”e sold for $78.1 million in 1990.

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Scanning Questions

Le Moulin de la Galette 1876, oil on canvas, 51-1/2” x 68-7/8”, Musee dʼOrsay, Paris

Art Elements: What you see.

Color • Do you see more warm (yellow, orange, red) or cool (green, blue, purple) colors? Point to some examples. • Where have complementary colors been used? (To create shading, such as the streaks of violet that create the shading on the yellow hats of the gentlemen; orange and blue used together to create highlights and shading on the dress of the woman dancer on the left.)

Shape • Can you find organic shapes? Geometric shapes? • Which kind of shapes are dominant in this painting? (Organic.)

Art Principles: How the elements are arranged.

Rhythm/Repetition • What colors have been repeated in this painting? (The flesh tones of the peopleʼs faces, the yellow of the gentlemenʼs hats, the dark blue of the clothing, the white light fixtures in the background.) • How does this repetition create rhythm? (The colors are used repeatedly on the same shapes, and they are evenly dispersed around the painting, which causes the eye to move around the scene.)

Contrast • Where are there areas of color contrast? (The women in the center foreground are wearing clothing of differing values that creates a contrast between light and dark. The white light fixtures contrast with the dark leaves of the trees in the background.) • Can you find a place where geometric shapes contrast with an organic shape? (The manʼs arm over the back of his chair.)

Technical Properties: How it was made.

• What has Renoir used to create this painting? (Canvas, paint brushes, oil paint.) • Where do you think this painting was created, in the studio or at the scene? (At the scene. A friend of Renoir confirmed that he carried the canvas everyday from his studio to the Moulin de la Galette.)

Expressive Properties: How it makes you feel.

• How does this painting make you feel? • What do you think people in the painting are feeling? Do they look happy or sad? Do they look like theyʼre having fun, or do they look bored?

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7. Madame Charpentier and her Children 1878, oil on canvas, 61-5/8” x 76”, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Madame Charpentier was the wife of the prominent French publisher, Georges Charpentier. They entertained the prominent literary and political figures of the day, and Renoirʼs friendship with them proved to be a turning point in his career. He was commissioned to paint her— one of the most celebrated Parisian hostesses—at home with her children. Madame Charpentier exercised her powerful influence to insure the painting was favorably hung in the Salon of 1879, and it was enthusiastically received by the critics. Identify two types of contrast that Renior This painting abounds with contrasts. The dark dress of Madame Charpentier used in this painting. with its touches of white at the bodice and hem, contrasts with the lighter values around her. The blue dresses worn by the children contrast with the orange of the furniture against which they sit. The smoothly modeled faces of the group contrast with the feathery brush strokes that create their hair, dresses and other shapes in the room. In addition, the solid colors of the clothing contrast with the patterns in the upholstery, carpet and wall decorations behind.

The repetition of bright white through the room creates a rhythm that moves our eyes from left to right: in the dogʼs fur, in the girlsʼ dresses, at Madameʼs bodice, at her hem, and in the still life on the table at the right edge of the canvas.

Fun Fact: The child sitting closest to Madame Charpentier is her three-year-old son, Paul. Following the fashion of the time, his hair has not yet been cut and his clothes match those of his sister, Georgette.

8. On the Terrace 1879, oil on canvas, 40” x 32-3/8”, Art Institute of Chicago

In this painting, using the river as a background, Renoir captured his favorite subjects: a pretty girl and young child. This painting contains contrasts not only of color and value, but also of texture. The smooth modeling of the faces and hands of the subjects contrasts with the dabs of color that capture other features of the scene, such as the river and the foliage in the background. Even the flowers on the young childʼs hat and on the bosom of the girl are created with simple strokes of color, contrasting with the smooth texture of their skin.

Complementary colors create simultaneous contrast throughout the scene. Red and green balls of yarn sit side by side in the sewing basket in the left How does the way Renoir foreground. Orange and blue flowers share space on the young childʼs hat. painted the faces differ from the way he painted the The girlʼs red hat contrasts with the green leaves behind it in the foliage in the background? background.

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9. Oarsmen At Chatou 1879, oil on canvas, 32-3/8” x 40”, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

Use of color creates the shapes within this scene of people enjoying a leisurely afternoon on the river. Broad strokes of orange create the shapes of the boats on the water, shapes that are repeated through the middle ground and into the background on the opposite bank of the river.

Contrasts of color define the faces and clothing of the boating party and the surrounding landscape. Simultaneous contrast (side-by-side placement of complementary colors) creates a visual vibration with Why would this painting be streaks of blue used next to the orange boatʼs reflection in the water, described as impressionistic? adding to the effect of the rippling water.

Renoir created rhythm in this painting by the repetition of his brush strokes. In the foreground, the grassy riverbank was created by diagonal, feathery brush strokes. Renoir repeated these brush strokes in the background, using feathery diagonal strokes to create the features of the opposite shore. In contrast, he used short, horizontal strokes to create the broad expanse of river through the middle ground.

10. Luncheon of the Boating Party 1880, oil on canvas, 51-3/4” x 69”, Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.

In this masterpiece of Impressionism, Renoir captured the effects of light and color amid a group of his friends enjoying a leisurely afternoon along the Seine River. Improvements to the railway system changed the rural areas around Paris into suburban sites for leisure, easily accessible to all, and the site of this party was the Maison Fournaise, a restaurant in the town of Chatou, west of Paris. What repeated organic Although Renoir undoubtedly executed some of the painting at the Maison shape leads our eye Fournaise, this was not a work painted entirely out of doors. There is around the scene? evidence that Renoir worked and reworked the composition, most likely in his studio, but his genius was retaining the freshness and spontaneity of the moment.

The repetition of faces throughout the composition leads our eye around the scene. The direction of each personʼs gaze leads the eye to another face, and that personʼs gaze is directed to another, and so on. This also serves to extend the boundaries of the composition, suggesting there is more to the scene than is shown on the canvas.

The faces in the foreground seem smooth and modeled, while the individuals in the background are painted with a more broken and feathery brush stroke. These contrasting textures of smooth and broken brush strokes create interest in the painting. Complementary colors also create simultaneous contrast: the blue shading in the orange-striped awning above, the orange trim on the blue dress worn by the woman in the lower left corner, and the violet shading that gives texture to the yellow jacket worn by the man in the right center of the painting.

Fun Fact: The model for the woman in the lower left corner was a young dressmaker named Aline Charigot. She later became Renoirʼs wife.

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11. The Umbrellas 1881-85, oil on canvas, 72” x 46-1/8”, National Gallery, London

This painting shows evidence of the change of direction that occurred in Renoirʼs art in the early 1880s. He began this painting in 1881, and he finished it several years later, his style changing in the process. The right side of the painting was created in the Impressionist style, but the left side was not.

Although the faces and hands of the figures on the right are smooth and modeled, their hair, hats, and clothing were created using the broken, feathery brush strokes characteristic of Impressionism. However, the left side of the painting shows an abrupt change of style. The woman carrying the hatbox was painted with smooth strokes, sharply defined contours, and unbroken flesh tones. Her dress is almost sculpturally modeled. What differences in The bright faces of the individuals in this painting contrast with the darker hues of painting style can their clothing, and the overall dark aspect of the rainy day. The contrast of brush you find between stroke treatment from one side of the painting to the other also creates a contrast of the right and left texture—one can almost feel the difference in materials between the clothing on sides of this the left side and the right side of the painting. The repetition of blue tones carries painting? Why are they different? throughout this painting, from the clothing of the individuals to the color of the umbrellas.

Fun Fact: This painting was completed in what is known as Renoirʼs “dry period,” between 1883 and 1890. His style is characterized by a more precise drawing and flat tints.

12. Fruits from the Midi 1881, oil on canvas, 20” x 25-5/8”, Art Institute of Chicago

This painting is a study in contrasts—of shapes, colors and textures. The varieties of fruit in this still life are shaped and shaded with feathery brush strokes of color that repeat throughout the painting. The reds, yellows, greens of the fruit, and the blue of the porcelain dish in which they rest, are subtly repeated in the feathery background and in the texture of the tablecloth. The repetition of these colors create a rhythm that moves the eye around the Where did Renoir use painting and unifies it. complementary color contrast? Why? Complementary colors, used to create shading and highlights, create simultaneous contrast. Touches of blue provide the shading on the orange fruits, green is used to shade the red fruits, and violet is used to shade the yellow fruits, thus providing each fruit with its own vibrancy. Additional contrasts can be seen between the organic shapes of the peppers in the foreground and the more geometric shapes of the yellow fruits in between. The use of shades of red, primarily on the right side of the painting, creates almost a visual equilateral triangle with the peppers on the table and the pomegranate in the dish. This aspect of the composition helps to break up the monotony of the repeated rounded shapes: the fruits, the bowl and the table.

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13. Young Girls at the Piano 1889, oil on canvas, 46-3/8” x 32-3/8”, Musée de lʼOrangerie

By 1890, Renoir had begun a series of small and medium size paintings for the private market that represented two young women absorbed in various tasks— reading, playing the piano, etc. Because these paintings were conceived as a series meant that Renoir could relax while painting and experiment with different poses, moods, colors and composition, knowing that if certain aspects didnʼt work, he could solve the problem in the next painting.

This painting is one of several versions that exist of the same scene—young girls sitting at a piano. It represents Renoirʼs departure from Impressionism and illustrates the style of his later years. His brush strokes are more fluid, creating How are these brush vertical lines that start in the drapery in the upper left corner of the painting and strokes different from continue down though the shapes of the girls and the piano. In his new style, the way Renoir applied color in the surfaces are smoother, shapes are more modeled, and colors are more other paintings you diffused. have seen?

Renoir still used complementary colors to add simultaneous contrast and visual interest. The girl at the piano wears a blue sash around her waist that contrasts with the orange cushion of her chair. Touches of blue that shade her dress contrast with the orange tones of the pianoʼs wood surface. Renoir also shaded the girlʼs strawberry blonde hair with touches of blue.

Fun Fact: One art historian refers to Renoirʼs late works as his “pearly period.”

14. Young Girls Reading 1891, oil on canvas, 22” x 18-1/4”, Portland Art Museum, Oregon

How similar is this painting to the previous slide? It is the mirror image of the previous slide. The colors are again diffused, and the modelling is still smooth. Can the students pick out areas of simultaneous contrast where complementary colors are used? (In the background wall, where short brush strokes of blue are next to strokes of orange; violet-blue has been used the shade the yellow sash around the girlʼs waist.)

Point to areas where complementary colors are side by side.

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15. Woman with a Mandolin 1919, oil on canvas, 22” x 22”, private collection, New York

After 1910, Renoirʼs rheumatoid arthritis was so crippling that he needed help putting a paintbrush in his hand. However, he didnʼt consider giving up his art. In this painting, we see that, although inconvenient, his limitation was no deterrent to his art. The figure may be fleshier and less compact, but the color and shading are still vibrant.

The modeling of the mandolin playerʼs face, bosom and arms is smooth, but the details of her dress have been painted with broad strokes. The colors in her hair, dress and mandolin repeat in the background, with strokes of their What repeating color complementary colors included to create simultaneous contrast. This same moves your eye around contrast exists in the upper left corner of the painting, where the yellow the scene?! headdress of the mandolin player is accentuated by the streaks of violet paint in the background.

Famous and wealthy at the end of his life, recognized throughout the world as an artist of great stature, Renoir was still painting with the joy and excitement of a young man just starting his career. His paintings captured the pleasant, happy, and carefree moments of life.

Fun Fact: As rheumatoid arthritis was robbing Renoir of his ability to walk, his doctor convinced him to try a few steps. Renoir told him walking would take “all my willpower, and I would have none left for painting. If I have choose between walking and painting, Iʼd much rather paint.”

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