Importance and Impressionist Period:
- Leading painter of the Impressionist style and helped to develop the style
- One of the most highly regarded artists of his time
- In 1874 Renoir participated in the later named “First Impressionist exhibition” in which he and his colleagues, Pissarro, Monet, Cezanne and Degas showed their work
- There the term “impressionism” was used for the first time, people said that the works were “impressions” rather than finished painting using traditional methods
One of Renoir’s self portraits, 1910
Personal Life:
- Born in Limoges, Haute-Vienne, France
- His family later moved to Paris
- In 1881 while travelling Renoir got pneumonia which permanently damaged his respiratory system
- In 1885 Renoir and Aline Charignot had a child named Pierre, they got married five years later in 1890
- They later had two more sons, Jean in 1894 and Claude in 1901
- In 1892 Renoir got rheumatoid arthritis which limited his movement and caused him to need a wheelchair for the rest of his life
- His sickness affected his hands and shoulders and he had to change his painting techniques
- Renoir died in 1919 after visiting the Louvre to see his paintings hanging with the old master
Renoir near the end of his life in 1910
Career:
- As a teenager he worked in a porcelain factory painting designs on fine china and continued to paint decorations of different things
- Took up drawing as a hobby
- In 1862 he enrolled in a famous art school studying under Charles Gleyre in Paris
- There he befriended Frederic Bazille, Claude Monet and Alfred Sisley and later through Monet he met Camille Pissarro and Paul Cezanne
- In 1864 he first started exhibiting his paintings at the Paris Salon and later became more well known
- During this time he struggled to make a living, relying on his friends and family
- In 1887 Renoir donated a few paintings to the “French Impressionist Paintings” upon the request of Queen Victoria’s associate
Renoir’s La Esmerelda, 1864
Travel and Moving:
- In 1881 on commission he travelled to Algeria, Madrid, and Italy observing artwork of famous artists like Diego Velazquez, Raphael and painting portraits
- Renoir spent the summer of that year in Guernsey creating many paintings
- In 1892 Renoir moved to a farm at Cagnes-sur-Mer
Renoir’s painting of a landscape near Cagnes-sur-Mer, after 1907
Subject Matter and Style:
- Renoir’s subject matter was influenced by his location and what was going on in his life at the time
- Paintings known for bright colour, light and brushstrokes
- In 1874 Renoir’s subject matter changed from scenic forests because he could no longer paint at his friend Jules Le Coeur’s estate as their friendship ended
- In the summer of 1881, which Renoir spent in Guernsey, his subject matter was beaches, bays and cliffs
- After getting married in 1890 Renoir painted many scenes of his daily family life including hic children, nurse and wife
- Near the end of Renoir’s life he created some sculptures
- Very skilled artist by the end of his life
Renoir’s painting of his family called “The Artist’s Family”, 1896
Critical Analysis: Bal du moulin de la Galette
Renoir’s painting Bal du mouline de la Galette, 1876
Initial Reaction:
As a whole I like the painting and find it visually appealing. It is a generally calm, peaceful and happy scene and makes me feel content. I admire the many details on each of the individual people and love the little patches of light shining on the people throughout the painting. I also really like the detailed background of trees, streetlights and buildings. The colours and painting techniques used create a soft and peaceful look to the painting.
Analysis and Interpretation:
The painting shows an outdoor scene in which many nicely dressed people are lounging around and having a good time. A group of people are contently sitting together while men and women are dancing behind them. In the background there are trees, streetlights and a building, with more people throughout the painting. All the people in the painting look like they are enjoying themselves.
The painting has some dark and some light colours but overall nothing too bright. The colours are muted, creating unity throughout the painting by using similar kinds of colours. Texture of fluid brushstrokes are also used in the painting especially on the trees, ground and people’s clothing. Different values are used to show the flickering sunlight shining on the people. Perspective is used and the people farther away are smaller creating a depth to the piece. Finally, form is used making everything in the piece appear three-dimensional.
Cultural Context:
Firstly the name of the painting, Bal du Moulin de la Galette, is translated as Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette. The painting shows a typical Sunday afternoon in Paris. Parisians dressed up and spent time eating, drinking and dancing into the evening. The painting could be described as an Impressionist shot of real life.
The painting is one of the most renowned works of the Impressionist Period.
The way Renoir painted Bal du Moulin de la Galette is representative of the style and subject matter of the Impressionist painters. Renoir painted a scene that he saw in his life, as many other Impressionist artists did, painting landscapes and people. Also Renoir’s brush strokes, light and form are representative of the Impressionist period. Many impressionist paintings use fluid brush strokes like Renoir did. The piece does not look exactly like real life, which is a common theme among Impressionist paintings, they do not look like real life rather than “impressions” of real life. I think because this piece is representative of the entire Impressionist Period, it is so celebrated.
Aesthetic Judgment:
Now that I know this painting is one of the most notable of all the Impressionist paintings and represents the entire period I think it does a successful job. It gives viewers a good idea of what life was like during the Impressionist period, using common Impressionist techniques. I like the painting more now after thinking about it in the greater sense to the entire time period. I still really like the techniques used and the subject matter.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre-Auguste_Renoir
http://www.biography.com/people/pierre-auguste-renoir-20693609?page=1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Renoir,_Pierre-Auguste,_by_Dornac,_BNF_Gallica.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Renoir_Self-Portrait_1910.jpg
http://www.quizz.biz/quizz-384240.html
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Renoir_Landscape_near_Cagnes-sur-Mer.jpg
ariella polisuk 
