Pierre-Auguste Renoir's 'L' Estaque, 1885-90
The piece that I have chosen is L’Estaque, 1885-90, by Pierre-Auguste Renoir. This painting is composed of oil on canvas. Viewing the piece, I believe that the mood it conveys is peace and serenity. The subject of this piece is a calm enclave in France, enhanced with a faint sailboat and relaxed fisherman. This is a landscape painting; therefore, the subject is relatively straightforward. L’Estaque conveys a tranquil fragment of life, one that has since been lost, or forgotten. It was 5:15 P.M on a Friday night. It was snowing. I parked the car along the side of a small restaurant; a short walking distance to the museum. I staggered down the street, through the harsh winds and rapid snowfall. As I approached the museum, the monumental building really came into perspective. The exterior is minimally decorated, which was a surprise for me. Although, the architecture was modern.
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It reminded me of an abstract piece, considering the different shapes. At the same time, it also reminded me of ancient temples, with the way in which the base of the building had small archways. Upon entering the museum, I was overwhelmed in the best way possible, by the lobby. There were giant pieces of art, hanging from the ceilings and on each wall. Compared to the exterior of the building, this is not what I expected to see. The atmosphere was tremendously calm and profession, which includes to the staff, and the temperament of the people attending. Even though, I did notice a few familiar faces from the class, which was humorous. L’Estaque is displayed in a small square room, surrounded by other Impressionist pieces. The surrounding walls are navy blue, in contrast against the expressive colors in the other paintings. This painting was displayed on its own corner wall, although the room contained pieces from Cezanne, and Maximilien Luce. L’Estaque was the last piece I noticed in the room because as I entered, my back was to it. I turned to exit and remember thinking “wow!” The oil paint is applied so thickly that the painting has a strong texture. I wanted to reach out and run my fingers along the grooves of the paint. L’Estaque had an immense sense of immediacy. The warm colors made me feel happy. My first impression of the meaning was pure relaxation. This piece is intensely shiny and rough. Color is utilized with a contrast of cool and warm complimentary colors. The majority of this piece is intense shadowing, with the enhancement of different colors. The lines, or brushwork, of this piece are very apparent which supplements the idea of the artist’s hand. The composition is balanced between the cool and warm colors, but it is not symmetrical. This is because landscapes are not symmetrical; they’re immediate, which is why this piece has an intense sense of immediacy. This piece is relatively small, which is unusual for the free form of the painting style. A small canvas conveys a sense of control. Proceeding to the label, I realized it was one of Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s pieces. Renoir is from France, so he was painting a scene familiar to him. The description exclaims Renoir went to visit with artist’s, Cezanne being one of them, in L’Estaque, which sprouted the inspiration for this piece. For this specific piece, there is really only one viewing point because if one stands off to the side, they’ll be in the way of the entrance to the exhibition. The subject matter of this piece is a relaxed enclave. In a way, an ideal depiction of a stress free experience. As earlier stated, this is enforced with the use of the fisherman and the sweeping sailboat. Rather than telling a story, this painting is introducing an idealized moment. The style of this piece is similar to the Impressionist pieces we have studied.
In fact, we studied Renoir during that unit; especially his piece The Large Bathers, 1887. The harsh brushstrokes and thick use of paint coincides with other Impressionist pieces we looked at, like Cezanne’s paintings. The subject of this piece is real, but ideal in Renoir’s mind, since he was painting a sense of peace that has been lost to him in France. The description of the piece describes that Renoir was “disenchanted with Paris,” meaning that this piece was his depiction of his ideal world, and fascination with the calm of the seaside. L’Estaque also conveys, with the bright colors and style of painting, his desperate desire for a new style of painting, like his Impressionist associates. One piece in particular, directly across from Renoir’s, is The Breakwater at Camaret, 1985 by Maximilien Luce. This piece utilizes the same intense brushstrokes, although the colors are strictly cool in comparison to L’Estaque. Renoir’s search for a new style of painting is also how this piece relates to its
surroundings.
I selected this piece because it conveys the same sense of tranquility that I desire in my life, much like Renoir. A This is one of the few pieces where there is not a single element that I dislike, which is another reason why I chose it. I can relate to the artist’s desire for a more peaceful and calm world, especially today. Interestingly enough, this piece isn’t as popular as I expected. Since it is located in the corner, exiting the room, people frequently pass it by. This was disappointing to me because in comparison to the other pieces in the room, this was a star. What caught my eye was the intense colors, serene landscape, and exacerbated brushstrokes.
It reminded me of an abstract piece, considering the different shapes. At the same time, it also reminded me of ancient temples, with the way in which the base of the building had small archways. Upon entering the museum, I was overwhelmed in the best way possible, by the lobby. There were giant pieces of art, hanging from the ceilings and on each wall. Compared to the exterior of the building, this is not what I expected to see. The atmosphere was tremendously calm and profession, which includes to the staff, and the temperament of the people attending. Even though, I did notice a few familiar faces from the class, which was humorous. L’Estaque is displayed in a small square room, surrounded by other Impressionist pieces. The surrounding walls are navy blue, in contrast against the expressive colors in the other paintings. This painting was displayed on its own corner wall, although the room contained pieces from Cezanne, and Maximilien Luce. L’Estaque was the last piece I noticed in the room because as I entered, my back was to it. I turned to exit and remember thinking “wow!” The oil paint is applied so thickly that the painting has a strong texture. I wanted to reach out and run my fingers along the grooves of the paint. L’Estaque had an immense sense of immediacy. The warm colors made me feel happy. My first impression of the meaning was pure relaxation. This piece is intensely shiny and rough. Color is utilized with a contrast of cool and warm complimentary colors. The majority of this piece is intense shadowing, with the enhancement of different colors. The lines, or brushwork, of this piece are very apparent which supplements the idea of the artist’s hand. The composition is balanced between the cool and warm colors, but it is not symmetrical. This is because landscapes are not symmetrical; they’re immediate, which is why this piece has an intense sense of immediacy. This piece is relatively small, which is unusual for the free form of the painting style. A small canvas conveys a sense of control. Proceeding to the label, I realized it was one of Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s pieces. Renoir is from France, so he was painting a scene familiar to him. The description exclaims Renoir went to visit with artist’s, Cezanne being one of them, in L’Estaque, which sprouted the inspiration for this piece. For this specific piece, there is really only one viewing point because if one stands off to the side, they’ll be in the way of the entrance to the exhibition. The subject matter of this piece is a relaxed enclave. In a way, an ideal depiction of a stress free experience. As earlier stated, this is enforced with the use of the fisherman and the sweeping sailboat. Rather than telling a story, this painting is introducing an idealized moment. The style of this piece is similar to the Impressionist pieces we have studied.
In fact, we studied Renoir during that unit; especially his piece The Large Bathers, 1887. The harsh brushstrokes and thick use of paint coincides with other Impressionist pieces we looked at, like Cezanne’s paintings. The subject of this piece is real, but ideal in Renoir’s mind, since he was painting a sense of peace that has been lost to him in France. The description of the piece describes that Renoir was “disenchanted with Paris,” meaning that this piece was his depiction of his ideal world, and fascination with the calm of the seaside. L’Estaque also conveys, with the bright colors and style of painting, his desperate desire for a new style of painting, like his Impressionist associates. One piece in particular, directly across from Renoir’s, is The Breakwater at Camaret, 1985 by Maximilien Luce. This piece utilizes the same intense brushstrokes, although the colors are strictly cool in comparison to L’Estaque. Renoir’s search for a new style of painting is also how this piece relates to its
surroundings.
I selected this piece because it conveys the same sense of tranquility that I desire in my life, much like Renoir. A This is one of the few pieces where there is not a single element that I dislike, which is another reason why I chose it. I can relate to the artist’s desire for a more peaceful and calm world, especially today. Interestingly enough, this piece isn’t as popular as I expected. Since it is located in the corner, exiting the room, people frequently pass it by. This was disappointing to me because in comparison to the other pieces in the room, this was a star. What caught my eye was the intense colors, serene landscape, and exacerbated brushstrokes.