Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919), this French painter, is one of the founders and the only black paint user of impressionism.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir was brought up in a working-class family, which made him optimistic in his later life. In his world, the so-called art is looking for ordinary happiness. However, this younger impressionism style was challenging the times of rigid salon organization. Different from other painters, the theme of Renoir's art is full of joy and pleasure. Thus his favorite subjects are women and flowers with natural beauty, children with lovely faces, wines with intoxicating charm and party with heart smile.
One of the best known Impressionist works is Renoir's 1876 Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette. The painting depicts a corner of Parisians' bustling and leisurable life. It was an open-air scene, crowded with people, at a popular dance garden on the Butte Montmartre, close to where he lived. It was typically Impressionist snapshots of real life, full of tiny, bright and tone. As the diffuse reflection, the real color of shadow is the reflected color of the objects surrounding them. There are a great many people scattering on this painting, with shadow of leaves on them. The dance garden is enjoying the lazy and brilliant sunshine in the afternoon, and some people are sitting on the benches with leaping lights on their dresses. They are chatting, smiling, drinking, and cheering. If standing before this painting, you could smell the sunshine.
The Ball at the Moulin de la Galette
Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette, as the representative of Renoir's most celebrated masterpieces, shows a richness of form, a fluidity of brush stroke, and a flickering light. For better observation, artist leaned forward slightly and layered these working class Parisians over the Sunday afternoon corner from high angles. Looking at this painting, the audience could smell the lazy but brilliant feeling like the passers-by.
