Dance at Le moulin de la Galette

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Dance at Le moulin de la Galette: Pierre-Auguste Renoir

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Art Type: Oil Painting
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Pierre-Auguste Renoir Oil Painting - Dance at Le moulin de la Galette

Keywords: Dance, moulin, Galette

Work Overview: Dance at Le moulin de la Galette (The Ball at the Moulin de la Galette; Bal au moulin de la Galette; Ball im Moulin de la Galette)
Artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Year 1876
Medium Oil on canvas
Dimensions 131 cm × 175 cm (52 in × 69 in)
Style Impressionism
Period Association with Impressionists
Genre genre painting
Location Musée d'Orsay, Paris

Bal du moulin de la Galette (commonly known as Dance at Le moulin de la Galette) is an 1876 painting by French artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir. It is housed at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris and is one of Impressionism's most celebrated masterpieces. The painting depicts a typical Sunday afternoon at the original Moulin de la Galette in the district of Montmartre in Paris. In the late 19th century, working class Parisians would dress up and spend time there dancing, drinking, and eating galettes into the evening.[1]:121–3

Like other works of Renoir's early maturity, Bal du moulin de la Galette is a typically Impressionist snapshot of real life. It shows a richness of form, a fluidity of brush stroke, and a flickering light.

From 1879 to 1894 the painting was in the collection of the French painter Gustave Caillebotte; when he died it became the property of the French Republic as payment for death duties. From 1896 to 1929 the painting hung in the Musée du Luxembourg in Paris. From 1929 it hung in the Musée du Louvre until it was transferred to the Musée d'Orsay in 1986.

Renoir painted a smaller version of the picture (78 × 114 cm) with the same title. The painting is now believed to be in a private collection in Switzerland. Apart from their size, the two paintings are virtually identical, although the smaller is painted in a more fluid manner than the d'Orsay version. One is presumably a copy of the original, but it is not known which is the original. It is not even known which was the one first exhibited at the 3rd Impressionist exhibition of 1877, because although the painting was catalogued and given favourable attention by critics, its entry did not indicate the size of the painting, information that would serve to identify it.[2]

For many years it was owned by John Hay Whitney. On May 17, 1990, his widow sold the painting for US$78 million at Sotheby's in New York City to Ryoei Saito (Saitō Ryōei), the honorary chairman of Daishowa Paper Manufacturing Company, Japan.

At the time of sale, it was one of the top two most expensive artworks ever sold, together with van Gogh's Portrait of Dr. Gachet, which was also purchased by Saito. Saito caused international outrage when he suggested in 1991 that he intended to cremate both paintings with him when he died. However, when Saito and his companies ran into severe financial difficulties, bankers who held the painting as collateral for loans arranged a confidential sale through Sotheby's to an undisclosed buyer.[3] Although not known for certain, the painting is believed to be in the hands of a Swiss collector.[citation needed]

As of January 2013 the Bal du moulin de la Galette is sixth (when adjusted for the consumer price index) on the list of most expensive paintings ever sold.

Renoir conceived his project of painting the dancing at Le Moulin de la Galette in May 1876 and its execution is described in full by his civil servant friend Georges Rivière in his memoir Renoir et ses amis.[1] In the first place, Renoir needed to set up a studio near the mill. A suitable studio was found at an abandoned cottage in the rue Cortot with a garden described by Rivière as a "beautiful abandoned park".[1]:130 Several of Renoir's major works were painted in this garden at this time, including La balançoire (The Swing). The gardens and its buildings have been preserved as the Musée de Montmartre.

Rivière identified several of the personalities in the painting. Despite Renoir's resource of distributing a sought after fashionable hat of the time amongst his models (the straw bonnet with a wide red ribbon top right is an example of this hat, called a timbale), he was unable to persuade his favourite sixteen-year-old model Jeanne, who appears in La balançoire, to pose as principal for the painting (in fact she was conducting an affair with a local boy at the time). It is her sister Estelle who poses as the girl wearing a blue and pink striped dress. These two girls came to Le Moulin every Sunday with their family; with two younger sisters barely taller than the tables, and their mother and father, properly chaperoned by their mother (entry was free for girls at Le Moulin and not all were models of virtue). Beside her is a group consisting of Pierre-Franc Lamy and Norbert Goeneutte (also appearing in La balançoire), fellow painters, as well as Rivière himself. Behind her, amongst the dancers, are to be found Henri Gervex, Eugène Pierre Lestringuez and Paul Lhote (who appears in Dance in the Country). In the middle distance, in the middle of the dance hall, the Cuban painter Don Pedro Vidal de Solares y Cardenas is depicted in striped trousers dancing with the model called Margot (Marguerite Legrand). Apparently the exuberant Margot found Solares too reserved and was endeavouring to loosen him up by dancing polkas with him and teaching him dubious songs in the local argot. She was to die of typhoid just two years later, Renoir nursing her until the end, paying both for her treatment and her funeral.

Rivière describes the painting as executed on the spot and that not without difficulty as the wind constantly threatened to blow the canvas away. This has led some critics to speculate that it was the larger d'Orsay painting that was painted here, as the smaller would have been easier to control. On the other hand, the smaller is much the more spontaneous and freely worked of the two, characteristic of en plein air work.

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Dance at le Moulin de la Galette is also known as Bal du moulin de la Galette and it is hailed as one of Renoir's most important works of the mid 1870s. The Moulin de la Galette was an open-air dancehall and café that was frequented by many artists living in Paris. Renoir attended Sunday afternoon dances and enjoyed watching the happy couples. For him, it provided the perfect setting for a painting.

Most of the figures featured in Dance at le Moulin de la Galette were Renoir's friends, but he also used a few professional models. Thus, it can be said that the scene he depicts is not a realistic representation of the Moulin's clientele, but rather an organized set of portraits.

This painting was first shown at the Impressionist exhibition of 1877 and demonstrated the original technique developed by Renoir. This canvas shows Renoir's friends, Frank Lamy, Norbert Goeneutte, and Georges Rivière gathered around the central table. Rivière, a writer who knew Renoir well at this time, wrote a review of Dance at le Moulin de la Galette in the journal L'Iimpressionniste which accompanied its exhibition. The writer referred to Dance at le Moulin de la Galette as a "page of history, a precious and strictly accurate portrayal of Parisian life. " Yet, others were not so kind. Many contemporary critics regarded this canvas as merely a blurred impression of the scene.

Known for his pleasant paintings, Dance at le Moulin de la Galette is regarded as one of the happiest compositions in Renoir's oeuvre. Today, it is on display at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris and is one the most celebrated works in the history of Impressionism.

Dance at le Moulin de la Galette also emulates the luminosity of Camille Corot. Corot was a key figure in landscape painting and his works referenced Neo-classicalism as well as anticipating the plein-air modernism of Impressionism.

Additionally, Renoir admired the realism of Gustave Courbet and Édouard Manet. He was also a great admirer of Degas perception of movement.

Like many of Renoir's early paintings, Dance at le Moulin de la Galette is a snapshot of real life and it captures true Parisian culture. However, this canvas was unique because of its size. It was Renoir's most ambitious figure painting and no artist before him had created a canvas capturing an aspect of daily life of this magnitude.

Composition:
Like Manet did in La Musique aux Tuileries, Renoir included a number of portraits in Dance at le Moulin de la Galette and the majority of portraits were his friends. By cutting off figures in the piece, Renoir suggests that the scene continued beyond the frame.

It seems that his time spent painting plein-air landscapes at Argenteuil prompted him use human beings, especially women, as the focus of this canvas.

Renoir uses brightly colored brushstrokes to add movement to the figures as well as depth to this piece. Renoir bathes the figures in sun and shadow, breaking up the composition with patches of light and capturing the vibrancy of the scene. He blends colors that worked well for him and this results in a painting that is rich in form and with a fluidity of brush stroke.

This innovative style and the grand scale of Dance at le Moulin de la Galette is a sign of Renoir's artistic drive.

Color Palette:
Renoir uses brightly colored brush strokes and opts to blend colors that suit him best. His refusal to use black together with the absence of outlines are traditional Impressionist techniques.

Renoir uses patches of soft color and combines this with vibrantly colored figures, to give the impression of speckled light beaming through the trees. He creates the patches of light with soft pinks and purples, while for the figures he uses bolder shades of blue, red, and green for the clothing.

Lighting:
Renoir's use of light in Dance at le Moulin de la Galette as well as its sketchiness is typically Impressionistic. He bathes the figures in both sun and shadow and spots of natural and artificial light divide the composition and depict the vibrancy of the scene. The sunlight contrasts well with the dark clothing, and Renoir's bright brushstrokes add movement to the painting.

Sunlight filtering through the trees gives Dance at le Moulin de la Galette a cheerful and summery feel as well as a sense of immediacy. Renoir reveals his true talent in this picture. It is a major composition that links the art of collective portrait, still life, and landscape painting.

A founder of the Impressionist movement, Renoirs work received a great deal of criticism and Dance at le Moulin de la Galette was no exception, drawing mixed reactions from viewers. However, today it is one of the most celebrated works from the Impressionist period.

Initial reception:
While many critics praised Renoirs technique of fluid brush strokes and flickered light, others felt that this canvas was a somewhat blurred impression of the scene.

Like many of his paintings, Dance at le Moulin de la Galettes use of light created a sense of vitality which did not obey the rules of the Salon. Focusing on classical rather than contemporary styles, the Salon did not appreciate dance halls depiction such as this.

However, Georges Rivière, a writer and good friend of Renoirs at this time, who features in the painting, write a review of Dance at le Moulin de la Galettes in the journal L'Iimpressionniste which accompanied exhibition. He described it as a "page of history, a precious and strictly accurate portrayal of Parisian life".

After Death:
This canvas captures the spirit of this scene with joyfulness and passion and some critics argue that this is the greatest illustration of Montmartre and Paris.

However one critic, Januszczak feels that this is far from a happy painting. Januszczak questions the females expressions and claims they do not portray joy at dancing with the men. It could be that drawing frowning lips and dark eyes was a way for Renoir to express his negative feelings about the women. This was also the case with other paintings carrying the dance theme, such as Dance in the City.

Dance at le Moulin de la Galette was a depiction of one of Renoirs favorite subjects - entertainment - and it was clear that he took great pleasure in painting dance halls, concerts and cafes. According to some, such enthusiasm makes him the most accessible and adored painter in the world.

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This work, one of Renoir’s chief creations, produced when he was at the height of his powers, is among the national treasures of France and very rarely leaves the walls of the Musée d’Orsay. As part of an exchange of the very highest level, the Mediterranean triptych by Pierre Bonnard (1911) has been provided by the Hermitage for an exhibition in France. The exhibition was opened by the General Director of the State Hermitage, Mikhail Piotrovsky.

The artist worked on Bal du Moulin de la Galette, a large composition and his most populous, throughout the summer of 1876. The Moulin de la Galette is a mill located at the top of the hill of Montmartre and in the 1870s it served as the main centre of Sunday leisure for the local young people. Renoir painted this scene of dancing en plein air, directly in the open, fascinated by the truly folk atmosphere of the amusements.

The artist’s younger brother, Edmond Renoir, gave this description of his work on the Bal in 1879: “He took up residence there for half a year, became acquainted with the little world of the place and its particular life that no models would have conveyed and, having got into the atmosphere of that popular little restaurant, he depicted with amazing enthusiasm the unrestrained hurly-burly that prevailed there.”

The choice of subject was to an enormous degree predetermined by the circumstances of Renoir’s life in Montmartre. At that time the artist was mixing closely with a group of young painters who were regulars at the Café de la Nouvelle Athènes. They all happily agreed to pose for Renoir’s painting, were involved in recruiting models and chased after the local girls. For them it was a performance, a sort of “happening” and all that remained for Renoir to do was to catch their poses on the fly.

Thanks to Renoir’s biographer, Georges Rivière, we know who some of the participants in the scene are. The compositional centre of the painting is formed by a striking pair – Marguerite Legrand (known as Margot) and a tall, immaculately dressed gentleman in a top-hat. And while Margot was simply the model for many of Renoir’s canvases, her partner is the Cuban painter of Spanish extraction Don Pedro Vidal de Solares y Cardenas, who was always ceremonious and reserved. Renoir was perfectly well aware what effect the combination of the gentle formality of the well-bred Don and Margot’s madcap pace would have on the public.

Bal du Moulin de la Galette is a previously unprecedented depiction of parallelism in action. The people are talking, moving, dancing, but at the same time light is dancing, causing flares and colour reflexes. Renoir was preoccupied with that living light – the chief synonym for modernity in the painting of the time. Renoir had discovered the trick of “ragged” light a year earlier in a study of a nude torso surrounded by greenery, and in the spring of 1876 he used it in The Swing (La Balançoire; Musée d’Orsay).

The uniqueness of the exhibited painting also lies in the fact that for the first time a composition with such a large number of figures and complex structure was painted completely en plein air. The Impressionists were sensitive more than any before them to gradations of light and Renoir wanted to complete Bal du Moulin de la Galette in the summer, before the character of the sunlight began to change. In all, work on it took no less than three months, from late May to late August. The artist would come to the Moulin after three and leave when the afternoon’s jollities wound down after six. The warm summery palette subordinated all the parameters of the painting in Bal. The summer sittings went ahead swimmingly. The work excited Renoir and looking at the details in Bal du Moulin de la Galette one cannot help but sense the rapid assured dash of this brush.

Still, neither public nor critics were quick off the mark when it came to appreciating the painting’s originality. At the third Impressionist exhibition, where the work was shown for the first time, it went practically unnoticed. Bal began to attract real interest only twenty years later, after it was included in the display of the Musée du Luxembourg, inspiring Toulouse-Lautrec and a young Pablo Picasso to produce their own variations.

Bal du Moulin de la Galette leaves its place in the Parisian museum extremely rarely. As the other side of an exchange of the highest level, the Pierre Bonnard’s 1911 Mediterranean triptych from the Hermitage will be on show in the Musée d’Orsay.

For the exhibition the State Hermitage’s Editing and Publishing Section has produced a book Auguste Renoir. Bal du Moulin de la Galette. From the Musée d’Orsay, Paris. The exhibition curator is Albert Grigoryevich Kostenevich, Doctor of Art Studies, chief researcher of the Department of Western European Fine Art.

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Renoir delighted in `the people's Paris', of which the Moulin de la Galette near the top of Montmartre was a characteristic place of entertainment, and his picture of the Sunday afternoon dance in its acacia-shaded courtyard is one of his happiest compositions. In still-rural Montmartre, the Moulin, called `de la Galette' from the pancake which was its speciality, had a local clientèle, especially of working girls and their young men together with a sprinkling of artists who, as Renoir did, enjoyed the spectacle and also found unprofessional models. The dapple of light is an Impressionist feature but Renoir after his bout of plein-air landscape at Argenteuil seems especially to have welcomed the opportunity to make human beings, and especially women, the main components of picture. As Manet had done in La Musique aux Tuileries he introduced a number of portraits.

The girl in the striped dress in the middle foreground (as charming of any of Watteau's court ladies) was said to be Estelle, the sister of Renoir's model, Jeanne. Another of Renoir's models, Margot, is seen to the left dancing with the Cuban painter, Cardenas. At the foreground table at the right are the artist's friends, Frank Lamy, Norbert Goeneutte and Georges Rivière who in the short-lived publication L'Impressionniste extolled the Moulin de la Galette as a page of history, a precious monument of Parisian life depicted with rigorous exactness. Nobody before him had thought of capturing some aspect of daily life in a canvas of such large dimensions.

Renoir painted two other versions of the subject, a small sketch now in the Ordrupgard Museum, near Copenhagen and a painting smaller than the Louvre version in the John Hay Whitney collection. It is a matter of some doubt whether the latter or the Louvre version was painted on the spot. Rivière refers to a large canvas being transported to the scene though it would seem obvious that so complete a work as the picture in the Louvre would in any case have been finished in the studio.

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This painting is doubtless Renoir's most important work of the mid 1870's and was shown at the Impressionist exhibition in 1877. Though some of his friends appear in the picture, Renoir's main aim was to convey the vivacious and joyful atmosphere of this popular dance garden on the Butte Montmartre. The study of the moving crowd, bathed in natural and artificial light, is handled using vibrant, brightly coloured brushstrokes. The somewhat blurred impression of the scene prompted negative reactions from contemporary critics.

This portrayal of popular Parisian life, with its innovative style and imposing format, a sign of Renoir's artistic ambition, is one of the masterpieces of early Impressionism.

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