Today the art world remembers one of the greatest painters of all time, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, born on February 25, 1841 in Limoges, died on December 3, 1919 in Cagnes-sur-Mer, a town in the south of France where he is present today. the Museum dedicated to him. A prolific artist, Renoir has created over a thousand paintings in all. His style, warm and sensual, has allowed his works to be among the best known and frequently reproduced in the history of art. His works of art have a common denominator: the joy of living, the happiness of enjoying life here and now. Renoir’s “The Rowers’ Breakfast”, because it can be considered a revolutionary painting
Even today, when we look at this painting, we seem to perceive the warmth of the sun that filters through the curtains, the chatter and the scents that come from the set table Biography
Born in Limoges, he lived from the age of four in Paris. At the age of fourteen, showing interest in art, he was directed by his father to the decoration of porcelain, a field in which he gave good proof of his skills. His father, in the hope that he would become a good craftsman, allowed him to take evening drawing courses. Thanks to the help of the master Charles Gleyre, he was admitted in 1862 to the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. Here he met Alfred Sisley, Frederic Bazille and Claude Monet, with whom he soon began to go to Fontainebleau to paint en plein air. In 1873 together with other painters he created theAnonymous cooperative society of artists, painters, sculptors, engravers, etc. that in 1874 I organized the first exhibition of the Impressionists at the studio of the photographer Nadar . In 1880 I met his future wife, Aline Victorine Charigot, in Paris, who soon became his model and, later, his mistress. The experience in Italy
He raised his finances thanks to the sale of his works, in 1881 he traveled to Algeria and Italy: here he was struck by the paintings of Raphael and the frescoes of Pompeii. In the early 1900s, due to frequent attacks of rheumatism, he moved to the south of France, to find a milder climate: his last residence, in Cagnes-sur-Mer ., and now a museum. Due to the worsening of his condition (he had suffered from rheumatoid arthritis in the hands and feet) he was confined to a wheelchair. However, I continue to paint, having a brush tied to my steadier hand . He died on December 3, 1919, at the age of 78, following pneumonia: he had just finished “Le bagnanti”. He was buried in Essoyes, like his beloved wife, who died just a few years earlier. The joy of life
Despite the adversities that struck the artist during his existence, reasons in common to all his works are certainly optimism and the joy of living: Renoir wants to communicate that happiness is not measured by wealth. or the money you have, but based on the little things that make the days unique.His subjects dance, have fun, laugh, as if they could stay young forever, enjoying life to the fullest. Renoir’s paintings know exactly how to communicate feelings, so much so that it almost feels like we can interact with the people in his paintings. The beauty and ability of the painter is precisely that of transferring an intense and refined emotional participation. The situations represented are those of everyday life, the harmony and naturalness of the subjects’ gestures help to make us participate, showing us even the most delicate details. Renoir’s works are a hymn to optimism, to enjoy life. True happiness is made up of little things, to be exploited and experienced in the course of existence. To date, however, it seems difficult for us to identify with his works. For a year now, common life has changed radically and what we see in Renoir’s paintings is a distant memory. An outdoor party, a lunch with friends or a day at the park have become rare and no longer obvious activities. This is also the purpose of art, to open a window on the beauty that surrounds us even when we cannot enjoy it personally. Le Bal au Moulin de la Galette
One of Renoir’s best known Impressionist paintings is The Ball at the Moulin de la Galette, (Le Bal au Moulin de la Galette), dated 1876. An outdoor scene is represented, crowded with people in a folk dance. The true protagonist of the painting is the happiness and lightheartedness of the Parisians. The Moulin de la Galette was a place where even the less advantaged classes could meet to dance: there were many young people who decided to spend their weekend afternoons drinking, eating, dancing and discussing, in a worldly environment. Renoir poses as the “novelist” of a moment of popular life in Paris.
In the foreground there is a table of friends who drink and have fun, chatting; the gestures are extremely natural and alive. Two girls with a radiant and carefree face stand out in the whirlwind of subjects surrounding the table. Behind the table is depicted a dancing and gay crowd, accompanied by the orchestra, depicted with so many details that we seem to be there and listen to the music and melodies.
