Arcadópolis
Bal du moulin de la Galette
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1876
What you see
A courtyard full of people spreads out beneath the trees. In the right foreground, young men in straw boaters chat around a table set with glasses; beside them, a girl in a striped dress sits on a bench while another leans over her shoulder. On the left a couple spins, and behind them the crowd keeps dancing until it dissolves into the distance.
The dark blues of suits and hats alternate with the pinks, whites and yellows of dresses and straw. The brushwork is loose, and faces in the back are barely more than smudges. Notice the clusters of globe lamps hanging overhead, and the flecks of light falling on the back of the young man seated with his back to us.
About Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Pierre-Auguste Renoir began by painting flowers on porcelain plates and became one of the great Impressionists. He loved to paint happiness: dances, outdoor meals, children and friends in light filtering through the trees. He kept painting into old age, even when he had to have the brush tied to his hand.
More by Pierre-Auguste Renoir
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