Angela Brasser, Adjunct Professor
Art 100
November 8, 2010
Le Moulin De La Galette The year was 1876 when Pierre Augustus Renoir painted his Le Moulin De La Galette this piece of art was in the style of impressionism. This was a fairly new art style during these years thus making it very popular at the time. Renoir’s works has endured the test of time with the popularity of his art and is still one of history’s more prominent artists. The painting itself was an open-air oil portrait on canvas that measured 4ft.3in.X5ft.8in. the composition of the painting was of a large outdoor gathering of music and dancing which included many of Renoir’s friends, including one of his closest friends Georges Rivie`re. The following year while at the third impressionist exhibit of 1877 Rivie`re described the painting as follows:
“It is a page of history, a precious monument to Parisian life,
Done with rigorous exactitude. No one before Renoir had thought of portraying an event in ordinary life on a canvas of such big dimensions” (Rivie`re quote, Sayer 493) The type of line generally employed throughout the painting is primarily expressive and flowing, this is generally type of line impressionist used in their paintings. When Renoir painted this portrait his use of line seemed to soften the overall look of the painting. While there are areas in the painting where the artist’s line are more structured and deliberate the overall feel of the painting is that the line is free flowing and expressive. Renoir’s use of space is very precisely controlled by the overlapping of figures in the painting to create the feel of a large outdoor courtyard. While the overlapping of the figures create the feel of an open courtyard, it also portrays at the same time how completely cramped and crowded the dance area seems to be, this also helps define the space and also creates a feel of movement in the painting. Renoir’s scale that he placed on the table