Pierre-Auguste Renoir's Le déjeuner des canotiers / Luncheon of the Boating Party (1881) at the Phillips Collection, Washington, DC. Saw this up close about twenty years ago, and stood in amazement at its vibrancy. It's pretty big, about four feet by five feet plus some.
The Phillips Collection showcases a lot of works, ranging from Goya (I remember standing in amazement before anything by Goya) through bigtime French and American paintings. If in DC, it's just about as good or better than anything else one might want to see there culturally. Website link: http://www.phillipscollection.org/
Also in DC, there's the amazing Corcoran Gallery of Art, where the above painting is housed: John Sloan's Yeats at Petipas (1910). This is about half the size of Renoir's Boating Party. For more on the Corcoran, please see: http://www.corcoran.org/
Do you like one more than the other? If so, why? I have a definite preference, but like them both.
Today's Rune: Fertility. Happy Birthday to my sister Vickie and several other peeps today! (Note: Post title derived from Delmore Schwartz).
7 comments:
Happy birthday Vicky.
I personally prefer the Renoir of the two because ol' Pierre was at his impressionistic best when doing the detailed scenes of the common man on his day off away from his labor. The DIA has six or seven of his works but none of them come close to his "club scenes" because, though good they are all posed except for the one landscape.
Sloan and his realist style appeals to me but I think his use of color is denser and not as easy on the eye as well as his scenery being more urban and dirty as all urban areas were during the time of his life.
The beauty of the impressionist was that they were allowed to be more extravagant in their pallets because they were capturing a moment in time from their memory and in that they were not as restricted by the truth of the scenery.
Where as the early 20th century realist could revisit the scene of his work day after day and none of the back ground would change even if the light and people did.
Both styles are credible but if having to choose I will take the impressionist because it will take me away from where and what I live in daily.
I love Yeats's poetry, utterly moving, but I have to say if I was to be magically transported into one of those canvases (thoughts like this got me through an art history degree), I do believe I'd be happier with the folks at Renoir's party...
Eric, I have always liked the boating one altho my taste in art is usually much more contemporary. The were so formal back then! We boat in bathing suits and beer!
Speaking of Renoir, I hope you got to the Barnes Collection before they move it. We're seeing THE ART OF THE STEAL tonight.
Thanks all for the comments -- you've got it covered.
Patti, saw the trailer and look forward to it. I did see the Barnes out in the country outside of Philly - strange and wonderful
Reminds me to check the art galleries in this town, see what I find.
DC is amazing, partly for the Smithsonian. It's really amazing in the summer.
I prefer Renoir's, as there's more movement there, more kinetic energy.
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