Pierre-Auguste Renoir's Impressionism Analysis

“To my mind, a picture should be something pleasant, cheerful, and pretty, yes pretty! There are too many unpleasant things in life as it is without creating still more of them” (P.A.R Quotes). Pierre-Auguste Renoir was an artist that put his heart and soul into a painting. Prior to Renoir there were many artists. Renoir was a man after diversity and difference in his paintings. He did not want to be like everybody else. He and many others felt this way, forming a new art called Impressionism. This new concept originated in France in the 1860’s. In 1874 Impressionism really took off, these artist were going against Realism in every way. These artist of Impressionism only became a group because they were rejected by the Salon des Refuses. Their

paintings were not what people were used too. Renoir’s and other’s work was considered modern, with new technologies, and like nothing anybody had seen before. Impressionist artist were taking a stand against the norm and creating paintings so modern for its time. These rejected artists wanted their own Salon so Napoleon the 3rd allowed them to have it; people heard and flocked to it. From then on Impressionism was famous. The Impressionist had ideas to follow with the renovation of Paris. There were now new railroads, wide, tree-lined boulevards, and large apartment buildings. Also a new idea in science became relevant. This idea that what the eye saw was not always what the brain thought. This lead to Impressionism being understandable and not the normal painting of this time. As Paris was becoming more modern and turning into a metropolis, so was the art.
Being different and now famous these artist had to really impress people. Impressionism was all about modernity. This way of painting was considered the first modern movement in painting. Instead of doing the normal fine finish and detail, these artist did more capturing the moment. No longer did Renoir paint in his studio but more in the streets and countryside; this being called painting en plein air. These painters rarely relied on realistic point of view, instead they used exactly what they saw. At this time in history the eye was studied heavily. The Impressionist focused on the perception of light, “to convey the passage of time, changes in weather, and other shifts in the atmosphere in their canvases” (Impressionism). They enjoyed using intense and pure color. Instead of mixing on the pallet they believed the eye would mix what it thought needed. They also used shadows in different colors, short brushstrokes, and brighter colors to really catch the eye. Impressionist no longer used linear perspective, instead used more brushstrokes to show the depth and shapes. Some people even criticized them for unfinished looking work, but they left it that way. Everything people had seen before, impressionist change and did it their way. They did not want to be normal or of the same, they wanted to be their own, unique form. And that is exactly what they did.
One of Renoir’s most famous paintings was called Luncheon of the Boating Party.

This was an oil painting completed in 1881. This painting still remains to be the most popular work of art at The Phillips Collection. Renoir enjoyed painting busy scenes filled with people doing what they loved. In this painting the people are eating food, sipping wine, and mingling amongst each other. Upon looking at the painting our eyes go directly to the colors. Renoir used contrasts of colors such as deep blues, greens, and reds. There seems to be well thought out texture in the clothing of the people and in the background. The people all seem to be doing something, most are talking, and others are looking about. There seems to be a great deal of light coming from the opening in the background and sunlight beaming off the table. Renoir made sure there was a sense of movement, a way your eye follows the canvas. The brushstrokes seem to be heavy and thick with additional smaller ones to add composition. There is also a great sense of balance throughout the painting. A certain amount of people in the front of the canvas closely similar to the back of the canvas. This painting shows great deal of Impressionist style work. This is a scene from the modern life of some friends enjoying a Sunday

brunch.
When I first saw this painting something about it stood out to me. My eyes directly went to the lady holding her dog trying to kiss him. As my eyes wandered around the scene all the character’s emotions stood out to me. They all have something on their face that tells a story, what they are thinking, or what they are feeling. I really enjoy the colors of this painting. There seems to be a pattern with the clothes. There are five people wearing dark blue, four wearing a cream color, and two wearing brown. This allows your eyes to go through the painting and point out groups of people easier. Also what catches the eye is that everybody is wearing some sort of hat. The tables are full of wine and food, showing this must be a restaurant of some sort. There is a sense of movement with the posts in the railing and the yellow hats, this allows the eyes to wander all around the painting. There is a great sense of light, no real dark spots which gives this painting a positive vibe. The bottles on the table give the painting a certain shape and atmosphere. Also with so many people in the painting there seems to be little space, which doesn’t bother them much. Overall this painting is full of modern life for these people. They are enjoying their time not thinking about the outside world. Renoir does a great job of expression and masters the depth in the painting.