Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette

Pierre Auguste Renoir (1841-1919), a classic Impressionist painter, was born in France in a poor tailor's family. When he was young, Renoir was sent to the porcelain factory to learn the craft of making porcelain. Then accidentally he became interested in the painting when he engaged in the work of painting porcelain and screens. Owing to his keen interest in the painting, Renoir went to the School of Fine Arts to study painting, and learnt sketch at the same time It was the place that he met Claude Monet (1840-1926), Bazille and  Alfred Sisley (1839-1899), which made him embark on the road of Impressionism .

 

Renoir was born as a civilian and his temperament was close to civilians without arrogant attitude. He treated people equally no matter which state they belonged to. When he chose the model for his painting, his requirement was easy, that is the model should not be whitewashed as the ladies of upper-class. Renoir always behaved silent, sentimental and depressed when in any social situations. However, when he put himself in the world of painting, he would immediately felt happy and enthusiastic or even sang sweet songs. He was rally a born painter.

Renoir was famous for painting figures. Compared with other Impressionists, his unique style lies in the sweet, leisure and fascinating atmosphere he depicted in the painting,. Among so many features of his painting the most typical one is the plump, bright face and hands. From his paintings, we rarely feel pain or religious feelings; instead we can feel the warmth of the family, such as smiles from a mother or sister. In Renoir’s eyes, painting is not a scientific analysis of the light, nor is a coincidence arrangement of the layout, actually painting to bring the audiences pleasure and proper art environment.

 

Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette is one of the greatest paintings by Pierre Auguste Renoir. It depicts the scene of an open-air dance in Paris, which shows us many people getting caught up in the revelry and further reveals a kind of carefree lifestyle. We can not only appreciate the joy of the crowds but also enjoy the beauty of the dance. However, the main purpose of Renoir to create this painting is to present pleasing bright mixed colors so as to study the effects of sun shot on the moving crowds of people. Although this painting seems to be a "sketch" that not yet completed, it is a successful refined artwork. The details of some character's head showed his extremely daring approach of painting. Let’s have a look at the eyes and the forehead of the lady in bright clothes sitting in the shadows, and the sun shone on her mouth and chin. All these are painted by the extensive brush strokes which will always be the focus of our eyes.