A group of friends are enjoying breakfast on the sun-drenched terrace of an open-air cafe on the banks of a river a few kilometers from Paris. The place where the painting was painted was the Fournese restaurant, located on an island in Chatou, on the Seine. It was a meeting place for high society, poets, actors, intellectuals and rowers. Just like Renoir, the free, lively atmosphere that arises in the company of Parisians who have left to relax in the fresh air is conveyed here. Very modern in content, this painting at the same time clearly echoes the canvases of the old masters depicting feasts, in particular with the works of the 16th-century Venetian artist Veronese. Despite the fact that the picture conveys a sense of the spontaneity of the moment, Renoir carefully built its composition for several months, inviting models (his friends and specially invited people) to Chatu, who posed for him separately.
(1880-1881) 130 x 173 cm Phillips Collection, Washington
The paintings, which depict Parisians relaxing outside the city, allowed Renoir and other impressionists to combine their interest in the scenes of modern life with work in the open air. Renoir and his friend Monet even earlier, back in 1869, painted Parisians on vacation, sitting side by side on the banks of the Frog in Bougival, one and a half kilometers from Chatou. And in the future, the scenes of recreation on the river continued to inspire the artist.
Many suburban getaways like Château (where The Rowers' Breakfast was written) became easily accessible to Parisians with the development of the railroad network in the middle of the century.
By 1880, Chatou had become a favorite place for outdoor activities, where not only wealthy Parisians came for the weekend, but also working people. Different towns located on the banks of the Seine near Paris provided various types of water recreation. So, for example, Argenteuil, where Monet settled in 1873, turned over time into a real yacht club, so boats under snow-white sails are found on many canvases of this artist. Rowing enthusiasts gathered mainly in Asnières and Chatou, and we find boats with rowers in the paintings of Renoir and Gustave Caillebotte (1848-1894), who painted the same scenes in a completely different manner. Renoir's canvases convey to the viewer the languid laziness of weekends spent on the river, while Caillebotte Caillebotte, who himself was a good rower and yachtsman, we can see in Renoir's painting. He is seated in the foreground on the right, wearing a tank top and a traditional straw boater hat.
Who is who at this celebration of life - Wikipedia knows.
We wander between various judgments: there is nothing that we would like freely, unconditionally and permanently.
In early 1880, Renoir broke his right arm. He did not repent because of this. He had a happy character, he always believed that there was a blessing in disguise. In addition, he liked to try his hand at various techniques, in various painting techniques, so he decided to take advantage of the accident. In February, he gleefully reported to Theodore Duret: “I enjoy working with my left hand. It turns out very funny and even better than what I wrote with my right hand. I think I broke my arm very conveniently, it helps me to improve. Pangloss was right." Renoir continued to prepare works for the next Salon. In addition to "Shell Catchers", he was going to send a canvas there, which he sketched impromptu, when the model Angele, who posed for him, dozed off during the session. Montmartre flower girl dark-haired Angele led a frankly dissolute life. She grew up among prostitutes, pimps and thieves and was guided by one single rule of behavior - to enjoy life. If her mother scolded Angel when she returned home in the morning with a wrinkled face and circles under her eyes, it was only so that Angele could understand: “All this is exhausting!” So exhausting that Angel often fell asleep, posing for Renoir. The artist wrote it in one of those moments, when the girl dozed off, sitting in a red armchair - Angela's chest is half-naked, a gray cat is on her knees.
For several months now, another girl has posed for Renoir, his neighbor on the Rue Saint-Georges Alina Charigot, who worked in a sewing workshop. Renoir met Alina at the dairy, where he had breakfast and lunch. The good-natured owner of the dairy, Madame Camille, was unusually caring towards Renoir and often lamented because of his thinness. “It’s just a pity to look at,” she groaned and added: “He needs to get married.” Madame Camille had two marriageable daughters.
Alina Charigot, like Madame Camille, was from the L "Ob department. This explained the girl's friendly relations with the mistress of the dairy, where she met the artist. In the autumn, upon returning from Vargemont, Renoir took Alina to Chatou and depicted her in his painting "Boatmen": Alina in a red dress sits on the grassy banks of the Seine next to Edmond, dressed in a white shirt.
Alina was the daughter of a vine grower who did not get along with his wife and, a few years before the war of 1870, suddenly left his home in Essois, a small town between Troyes and Châtillon-sur-Seine, and moved to the United States. His wife Emelie became a seamstress in Paris. Convinced that her views on life are the only correct ones, Emeli, apparently, was not distinguished by an easy character. “Bore,” Renoir politely assessed her. Once she came with her daughter to the workshop and, standing in front of the easel, looked at the painting she had begun with a contemptuous glance: “And this is how you make a living? Well, some people are lucky."
Emily, like Renoir, was about forty, Alina was supposed to turn twenty-one in May.
A well-built blonde, Alina, according to the artist, was very "comfortable". “I want to pat her on the back like a kitten,” said the enchanted Renoir. For her part, Alina really liked to pose for the artist. This young peasant woman, who was advised by the owner of the sewing workshop to find a “decent match”, to marry “rich and not too young”, did not look at anyone but her neighbor, and he, although he met the second condition, was by no means rich. , nor good-looking: sunken cheeks, twitching face, sparse beard, bushy eyebrows, stooped back. Alina did not understand painting. And yet, looking at Renoir wielding his brushes, she experienced a surprisingly exciting feeling of the fullness of life. She had some kind of vague, unconscious, but irresistible feeling that, being next to him, she was in contact with something most important, genuine, which she could not put into words, with something fundamentally different from what that she has encountered so far. This man, who looked at her, and then applied paint to a blank canvas, in everything - both in his craft, and in his way of life, and in the way he looked at people and surrounding objects - was sharply different from the ordinary world. And the keys to this world did not fit him. When he had finished painting, he lifted up his legs, laid them on a chair, and, twice nervously rubbing his nose with his forefinger—it was one of his tics—looked at the canvas, looked at the model, and smiled. He smiled like a happy child. “Marry a rich man…” Guided by the true instinct inherent in some women, and her inherent thoughtfulness, which allows her to distinguish the ostentatious from the genuine, Alina from the very first days felt how she was attracted to the artist. She did not understand painting, but she realized that Renoir is Renoir. It was an undeniable truth for her. If Alina had to make a choice, she made it.
On April 1, on the mezzanine of one of the houses on Pyramid Street, a new, fifth in a row, exhibition of the Impressionists opened. But could it be called an exhibition of the Impressionists? Following Renoir, Sisley, Cezanne, the inspirer of the exhibitions, Claude Monet, broke away from the group this time. Of the former participants, only Pissarro, Degas, Berthe Morisot and Caillebotte were represented on the Rue des Pyramids. But Degas was looking for and attracted new artists, whom he patronized. At last year's exhibition, at his insistence, paintings by the American Mary Cassatt, Foren, and the Venetian Zandomeneghi were already shown. This year, he demanded that Raffaelli participate in the exhibition, and agreed to accept quite a few works by Pissarro's friend Paul Gauguin. Monet was strongly opposed to these nominations; their participation in the exhibition probably played a role in the fact that Monet established himself in his intention to follow the example of Renoir and send paintings to the Salon. He presented the jury with two canvases. One was rejected, the other accepted. It was a landscape - a view of Lavacourt, a small village in the valley of the Seine opposite Veteil, where the artist had lived for two years. In Monet's life, there have been changes in general. His wife, unable to withstand the long-term need, died before she reached the age of thirty. And Ernest Hoschede's wife, having left her husband, became the artist's girlfriend.
Like Renoir, Monet became close to the Charpentiers. Madame Charpentier followed with unflagging attention the success of the artists she supported. A few months earlier, Renoir, who continued to work for her (sometimes he even painted the menu of her dinner parties), decorated the staircase of her mansion with two panels - one depicting a woman, the other a man. (Regarding these panels, the Alsatian Enner told Renoir: “Autumn, autumn caracho, only a relatively small mix-up: a man’s hair is always thicker and darker than a woman’s!”) In April, an exhibition of Edouard Manet was organized at the La Vie Moderne gallery, in June - Claude Monet. “Frantic advertising,” said Degas, who was indignant at Monet. He completely broke with the "apostate."
Such courtesies by no means contributed to the restoration of harmony between the quarreling friends. Renoir felt that he had not been treated in a friendly way, having stopped inviting him to group exhibitions. In addition, he, like Monet, did not at all approve of new participants. He never recognized either the painting of Gauguin or the painting of Rafaelli. About Rafaelli, someone said to Renoir: "You should like him, he portrayed the poor." “This is what makes me doubt,” Renoir replied. - In painting, for me, the poor do not exist. As, however, in life, ”he added after a pause.
It was quite obvious that the Impressionists were going through a critical moment, and the same Albert Wolff was ready to read waste on them.
“Why is a man like Degas still hanging around with this bunch of mediocrity? the critic of Le Figaro asked in the April 9 issue. – Why doesn’t he follow the example of Manet, who has long since broken with the Impressionists? He was tired of always dragging the tail of this outrageous school behind him.
But the critical period for the Impressionists came when Durand-Ruel began to hope to resume his purchases again. The art lover Feder, director of the General Union, a Catholic bank founded a year and a half earlier, came to the merchant's aid by advancing him with large sums. However, the crisis of impressionism was inevitable. The development of trends in art is characterized by the same organic, inevitable patterns as the development of an individual at certain stages of his destiny. The groups by which these trends are represented are always subject to unequal and most often contradictory forces reflecting the passions, selfish aspirations, preconceived opinions, and various, more or less pronounced tendencies of the individuals that make up these groups. The balance of power is achieved only for a very short time. The need to unite in the face of a hostile environment V a common search for the sake of a common struggle unites more strongly than an inner affinity. The struggle of the Impressionists did not end, but now it has changed form, acquired a more individual character. Each played his own game, moved his pieces. It was not only that the interests of the players no longer coincided or even contradicted each other, but also that Impressionism was subject to the universal law of life. Born from the collections of artists crowded around Manet in the Guerbois cafe, he grew up, established himself in the main features, then experienced a period of heyday. But those whose enthusiasm created it, as they advanced along their thorny path, refined their senses and perfected their craft. Impressionism, this spring of painting, was their youth. Now they have reached maturity. And in the end, at the end of their passionate joint search, they all in turn acquired or acquired their unique individuality. Just yesterday, in Argenteuil or La Grenouillere, Monet and Renoir could work side by side, following the general formulas in painting. Now this time has sunk into the past. The paths of the Impressionists diverged. Like children who grew up in the same family but became adults, each of them found himself face to face with his own problems. Spiritually connected by what once united them and made them what they became, from now on they had to remain themselves first of all, and only those of them who managed at that time or later to find their own way in painting became great artists. . “Art is individual, like love,” said Vlaminck. The group broke up. Impressionism split like a ripe fruit.
Zola, who did not judge painting very astutely, but instinctively grasped the changes taking place in large groups, the patterns of social development (his novels were not so much psychological as sociological), realized earlier than many other contemporaries that Impressionism was approaching sunset. Soon he had the opportunity to speak on this topic, as Renoir and Monet turned to him for support. In this year's Salon, the paintings were hung in accordance with the new rules - based on four categories into which the exhibitors were divided (going out of competition, taken outside the jury's decision, accepted by the jury's decision and foreigners). The works of both "defectors" were hung in the most disadvantageous places. Renoir and Monet protested, as did many other artists; it was quite obvious that the organizers wanted to maintain a "monopoly on the best seats" for "a small select group". Renoir drew up a draft of the allocation of seats, which Mürer published in La Cronik de tribuno of May 23. But the circle of readers of this newspaper was very narrow, and both artists remembered Zola. Who, if not their old comrade in the cafe Gerbois, could attract public opinion to this issue? From now on, each printed speech by Zola became a literary event. "Evenings in Medan" - a collection of short stories that Charpentier published on May 1 and in which Zola appeared surrounded by his closest students - caused no less scandal than his novels. Renoir and Monet wrote a letter to the head of the department of fine arts and, through Cezanne, gave a copy to the writer to publish it in Le Voltaire, where he collaborated, with his comments, in which he would emphasize "the importance of the Impressionists."
Zola fulfilled the request of the artists, but not quite the way Renoir and Monet wanted. The Monet exhibition at La Vie Moderne opened on June 7th. Answering questions from a magazine employee, Monet resolutely expressed his disagreement with those of his comrades who saw him only as an apostate ... “I remained and will forever remain an impressionist,” Monet said. “But now I very rarely see my fellow men and women. The little temple has now turned into a banal school, the doors of which are open to the first muffin who comes across. This inappropriate statement appeared in La Vie Moderne on June 12. And a week later, in the issue of June 18, Le Voltaire began publishing a series of articles by Zola - there were four in all - "Naturalism in the Salon", where the author, in his own way fulfilling the request of Renoir and Monet, raised the question of the relationship between independent art, the official Salon and impressionism.
The Impressionist group, according to Zola, "seems to have outlived its time." The paths of those who were part of it diverged. Why? Yes, because their exhibitions were built on a false basis and nothing can replace the Salon. The Impressionist exhibitions caused a lot of noise, but "it was just a noise, a Parisian hype that the wind will dispel." Of course, people of art dream "to do without the state, to be independent." But, unfortunately, this freedom does not correspond to the “morals of the public”. That is why, under these conditions, "fighting" is possible only in the Salon itself "in bright sunlight." It is great courage to remain on the battlefield, even in the most adverse conditions. Therefore, Monet, who “has been rushing about in the void for ten years now,” did the right thing by returning to the Salon, like Renoir. The only artist who benefited from the exhibitions was Degas: his paintings, “so worked out and refined,” went unnoticed “in the hustle and bustle of the Salon”, and “in a chamber setting” all their virtues became apparent.
Moreover, Zola added, "that a few hastily crafted works of other Impressionists emphasized the magnificent completeness of his work." For the novelist from Medan, for the man who made the words “nulla dies sine linea” his motto, there was no doubt that the fault of the Impressionists was that they did little work, they “deserved ... attacks, because they limited themselves to half-finished sketches.” Zola could not more clearly show his misunderstanding of Impressionism. If he once spoke in defense of Manet and the Batignolles, it was more for the sake of the struggle itself than from artistic convictions. He never understood what the painting of his friends was, in fact, he was attracted to academic "completion". This misunderstanding prevented him from grasping the significance of the event he had noticed. The collapse of the group marked the failure of Impressionism for Zola, and he could not hide his conclusion. Contrary to his most friendly intentions, he seemed to be summing up the collapse of the Impressionist painters. Trying to assess their contribution to art, he spoke of their "significant" influence, defending against widespread accusations of quackery "these severe and convinced observers", these "poor, dying in hard work from poverty and fatigue." And yet, the successful writer was convinced that his former comrades would never be able to assert themselves decisively and finally. “The whole trouble is,” he wrote, “that not one of the members of this group was able to powerfully and irrefutably embody in his work a new formula scattered over many works. This formula exists, fragmented to infinity, but nowhere, none of them has it fully embodied by the hand of a master… The artists turned out to be weaker than the creations they are trying to create, they stumble and cannot find the words.” That is why, in the end, the Impressionists did not win. They are "too easily satisfied" with what they have done and "demonstrate imperfection, lack of logic, exaggeration, impotence." “It is necessary to create large works,” Zola argued, “and then, even if they were rejected for decades in a row, and then hung in bad places for ten years in a row, they would still eventually gain the success they deserve. So much the worse for the weak, who are defeated and trampled by the strong! » The Impressionists did not create significant works, otherwise they would inevitably triumph. Is this not irrefutably evidenced by the success of The Trap, Nana, Evenings in Medan? “But it doesn’t matter,” concluded the novelist with a kind of playful indifference, “let them work better for the glory of modern naturalism, then they will be at the head of the movement and begin to play a prominent role in our modern school of painting.”
The Impressionists reacted differently to Zola's claim that they had failed. But one way or another, they all understood from now on that they could no longer count on the support of the head of the naturalistic school, the one who in the old days came out with such fervor in defense of independent painting. One gets more success in life, the other less, and this different measure of success, revealing, emphasizing what is hidden in the depths of the soul of everyone, what distinguishes people from each other, also plays a significant role in the process of disunity occurring within the group.
the 14 th of July. This year, for the first time, we celebrated the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, a day that has since become a national holiday. An amnesty law for convicted members of the Commune was passed. After the numerous upheavals experienced by the Third Republic, and an attempt to restore the monarchy, which completely failed when, as a result of the 1879 elections to the Senate, Marshal McMahon had to resign from the presidency, the Republic strengthened. France began a new chapter in its history. On the streets decorated in honor of July 14, the first issue of the newspaper L "Entrancijean" Rochefort, who managed to escape from New Caledonia, was sold, flags and banners fluttered in the wind in the middle of a sea of \u200b\u200bflowers. On this day, Muirer, who was about to leave for Auvers and take his his collection, which now numbered about a hundred works, gave his friends a farewell dinner in his flag-decorated and brightly lit patisserie, Renoir, Sisley, Guillaumin, Dr. Gachet, Kabaner were present at the dinner ... From now on, Muirer's puff pastries also belonged to the past.
Money worries lost their sharpness for Renoir. He wrote letters to Madame Charpentier in the following way: “This morning I began a portrait. I'll start another one tonight and maybe start a third one soon." Thus, he achieved what he aspired to. His fame as a portrait painter - the author of women's and children's portraits - grew all the time. Efrussy even betrothed him an order from the family of the banker Caen: Renoir was to paint his daughters.
But life, like the sea, where waves run one on top of the other, knows no rest. New worries invaded Renoir's soul. The crisis of impressionism rebounded on the artist. Confused Renoir was alone with himself. Renoir was never a man of theory. His creative path was a tortuous line. In this changeability, of course, the richness of his imagination was reflected, but through the joy of creativity, his hesitation, doubts, anxieties were also felt. And was he ever sure of anything? Now that uncertainty has deepened. She tormented, confused. In addition, another kind of confusion joined her - already in the realm of feelings, but no less painful.
Valued his bachelor habits, jealously guarding his independence, Renoir never imagined that any woman could become a friend of his life, constantly be with him, and therefore he was frightened that the young Alina Sharigot began to occupy such a large place in his thoughts. .
How good were the afternoons spent with Alina at La Grenouillere, where she learned to swim. How sweet are the summer evenings, when, to the sound of the piano on the terrace of Father Fournaise's restaurant, dancing couples whirled in a waltz whirlwind...
Renoir wrote, doubting himself, peering with displeasure at his canvases. What did his twenty years of work lead to, all these searches, all this impressionism? What are the "theories" of the Impressionists? "You come into nature with all your theories, and nature throws them away." The Impressionists reject black. And Renoir already used black in the portrait of Madame Charpentier with children: “Black is the color of flowers!” Only plein air? But Corot said that “in nature you never know what you will succeed”, that the work must be “passed through the workshop”. And still there is a form! A form too neglected by the Impressionists. This is especially noticeable when you write nudity. Renoir sometimes began to doubt even whether he could write and draw at all.
Alina Sharigo... Can he write and draw... In choosing a profession, people are more or less guided by personal tastes, but if later they have to do one thing and not another, this is usually determined by everyday accidents from which fates are woven. You have to think about earning money, and the conceited - about how to shine. On this partly the human comedy is built, and partly on the play of passions. But a man like Renoir is made from a different material. For him, painting is an organic, vital need. He secretes painting like a silkworm secretes its thread. Since he, like all other people, needs to buy food, clothes, pay for housing, he must try to get money for his work. But for him, money can never be the goal. It makes absolutely no difference to him whether he gets a little more or less money, as long as he can satisfy the need that dictates all his actions. It was this need, and it alone, that determined the existence of the artist for years. The thread twisted into a cocoon. In this unsophisticated life, as if subordinated to one feeling, there is no place for a woman, a woman who would possess not only a body, but also a soul. The bachelor position, naturally, corresponded to such a life. Alina Sharigot... What confusion, what difficulties she would have brought into the simple life of Renoir! And yet, those eyes, that sweet face, the peace he feels in her presence. How he wants her to be near, and how afraid of it! Her face haunts him. How he tries to avoid her nearness! “Oh, these women, it’s better to paint their portraits!” But Renoir is no longer sure if he can write. The ground is slipping from under his feet. His life is crumbling. "He doesn't know where to go."
Excited, tired, Renoir worked little and poorly. He began to study English: he wanted to go to Duret, who at that time, in early 1881, was living in London. Travel, move from place to place! Since movement always leads somewhere, people hope that it will lead to the goal, finding the lost peace. But who, if not Cezanne, is an eternal wanderer who never sat still, who traveled from Aix to Paris and back, and in Paris moved from one apartment to another, who, if not Cezanne, whose pastel portrait was painted at that time by Renoir (a balding skull, an introverted look of a man seized by one relentless dream), knew that no wanderings allow a person to escape from himself, at best, they only distract him for a while. Renoir wrote to Duret that he would come to see "pretty English women". And suddenly in February, having finished the portraits of the “Caen girls” (whether they turned out well or badly, he himself did not know) and leaving Ephryussi with the hassle of sending them to the Salon (“one less worry”), he left for a country that at one time fascinated Delacroix and about which Lestrenguet told him more than once - to Algiers.
Unfortunately, when he arrived in Algiers in early March, the weather was cloudy. It was raining. “And yet it’s magnificent here, nature is incredibly rich ... And the greenery is juicy-fresh! The new vegetation for him - palm trees, orange trees and fig trees - delighted Renoir, and the Arabs in their white wool burnouses often struck with the nobility of posture.
Finally the sun came out. The city, in which “everything is white: burnuses, walls, minarets and the road,” sparkled under a cloudless sky. Delighted by the spectacle that opened up to him, Renoir began to work again. He pulled himself together, tried to comprehend his work. “I decided to stay away from the artists, in the sun, in order to calmly think,” he soon wrote to Durand-Ruel, and one can feel from his tone that his soul became calmer. “I think I have reached the end and found it. Maybe I'm wrong, but that would surprise me a lot."
Durand-Ruel, who sent a letter to Renoir, tried to dissuade him from participating in the Salon. Now that the merchant had money and could again actively defend the Impressionists, he considered it highly desirable that the group regain some semblance of agreement. Even at that time, when Renoir hesitated, not knowing where to go - to England or to Algeria, Caillebotte and Pissarro discussed the issue of the sixth exhibition of the Impressionists, which was supposed to open in April. Caillebotte accused Degas of causing "a split in the group". Due to the fact that Degas did not take the “prominent place” that was due to him, “this man became hardened ... he is angry with the whole world,” Caillebotte Pissarro wrote. “He almost has a persecution mania. Isn’t he trying to convince others that Renoir has Machiavellian ideas? .. You can make up a whole volume from what he said about Manet, Monet, about you ... He went so far as to say to me about Monet and Renoir: “Do you really accept have these people?" Caillebotte was ready to believe that Degas did not forgive Renoir, Monet and Sisley for their talent, because he showed much more condescension towards those who were not very gifted or simply mediocre and whom he "dragged for himself". By forcing the works of his wards, like Zandomeneghi and Raffaelli, to be accepted at the exhibitions of the Impressionists, he perverted the nature of these exhibitions. In order for the exhibition to be homogeneous, Caillebotte believed that Renoir, Monet, Cezanne, Sisley must participate in it - all those who are in in fact, he connected his fate with impressionism, and only they are alone.And Degas must yield, otherwise he will have to do without him.
But Pissarro could not bring himself to "throw" Degas. Renoir replied to Durand-Ruel that he personally would continue to send paintings to the Salon. “I'm not going to succumb to the maniacal belief that a picture gets worse or better depending on where it was exhibited. In other words, I'm not going to waste time resenting the Salon. I don’t even want to show that I’m offended.” The matter ended with the fact that at the April exhibition there was one less impressionist: Caillebotte refused to participate in it.
Renoir, completely fascinated by Algeria, decided to stay in it longer - at first he was going to stay there for a month. “I don’t want to leave Algeria without bringing something from this wonderful country.” He set up an easel in the Kasbah area, Jardin d "Esse or in their vicinity. He wrote "Arab Holiday", "Banana Plantations" ... The amazing light of the Mediterranean! "The magician-sun turns palm trees into gold, waves roll diamonds, and people become like Magi". Renoir returned to France only in the first half of April. However, he was not going to stay in Paris, but wanted to go to London soon, where Duret was waiting for him. "After the Algerian heat, the sophistication of England will be more noticeable."
However, already on April 18, Renoir wrote from Chat to Theodore Duret that he would not go to London. At Chatou, Renoir met Whistler, who had come to France from London for a short time. Whistler would personally explain to Duret "a thousand reasons" why Renoir should postpone his journey. “I am fighting with trees and flowers, with women and children, and I don’t want to know anything more. However, every minute I am tormented by remorse. I think about the fact that I bothered you in vain, and I ask myself whether it will be easy for you to come to terms with my whims ... Unfortunate fate - to hesitate forever, but such is the essence of my character, and, I am afraid, over the years it will not change. The weather is beautiful and I have models - that's my only excuse."
On those sunny Easter days, Papa Fournes's restaurant was full of people. Renoir painted rowers finishing their breakfast here. Baron Barbier, a former cavalry officer, a participant in the Cochin Hin campaign and a short time mayor of Saigon (this perky merry fellow tirelessly burned his life for forty years and almost completely squandered) offered Renoir to help realize his plan. And the idea was not so simple: in order to paint a picture, Renoir had to gather at least fourteen people on the terrace of a restaurant on the banks of the Seine, along which sailboats glided. This picture, despite the Sunday festive atmosphere that emanates from it, is somewhat reminiscent of the large multi-figure compositions favored by Fantin-Latour, and formerly by Frans Hals. And although the work of Renoir was devoid of the pomposity inherent in these compositions, or, in any case, some pomp, in fact, she had something in common with them. The painting "Breakfast of the Rowers", in which he depicted many of his friends, regulars of Father Fournaise - Caillebotte and Ephrussy, Barbier, Lot and Lestrange, his model Angele (who from now on could no longer pose for him, because she was going to get married) and Alfonsina Fournaise, - Renoir, although he himself probably did not yet understand this, was saying goodbye to his past, to the long years that he spent on the banks of the Seine and at Le Moulin de la Galette among his dancers. With this brilliant canvas, a large "anthological" work, the period of impressionism of balls and restaurants, breakfasts on the grass and green arbors ends. From now on, Renoir will return to these topics only as an exception. A whole period was coming to an end. The period of Renoir's work and the period of his life.
In the foreground of the painting "Breakfast of the Rowers", at a table opposite Caillebotte, a charming young woman in a hat decorated with flowers sits with her small dog. This woman is Alina Sharigo.
Alina was much less happy than one might think, looking at the picture painted in Shatu. It seemed to her that she had found a wonderful way to solve the problems that tormented Renoir - that's what she called him at that time, and later. The issues of painting that worried the artist (the joyful upsurge caused by his stay in Algeria quickly ended) were not so serious in the eyes of the girl. Renoir, she reasoned, “was created to write, like a vineyard - to give wine. Therefore, whether it is good or bad, with or without success, he must paint.” On the other hand, the Parisian environment, the inevitable communication with other artists in the capital, only exacerbates his confusion. And Alina decided: why don't they go together to the village of Essua? There he "will be able to write his sketches, and the vine-growers busy with their work, who have no time to talk about the fate of painting, will not be a hindrance to him." But alas, such a decision seduced Renoir no more than it seduced Madame Charigot-mother ... "You have to be damn strong to doom yourself to loneliness," the artist said, evading Alina's proposal. Alina now hardly left the sewing workshop. Renoir decided to spend the summer in Vargemont.
He went on foot to Pourville, Varengeville and Dieppe. In Dieppe, Dr. Blanche's son, Jacques-Émile, who was a painter, was deeply distressed by the way his mother received Renoir. Madame Blanche first invited the artist to work in Dieppe, and then "began to make every effort to cancel the invitation." She considered him “completely insane both in painting and in conversation, and at the same time completely uneducated ... despising all soundness, not afraid of rain or slush ...”. She was annoyed by his tic and the fact that he sat at the table for a long time. On the evening of his first visit, Renoir painted “in ten minutes the sunset. This angered my mother, - said Jacques-Emile, - and she told him that he was only “translating colors! “Fortunate that she attacked a man who does not notice anything! »
And this summer, Renoir, of course, noticed even less than usual.
“When you look at the works of the great artists of the past, you understand that there is nothing to philosophize. What great masters of their craft these people were in the first place! How they knew their craft! This is everything. Painting is not some kind of dream… Really, artists consider themselves exceptional beings, they imagine that by putting blue paint instead of black, they will turn the world upside down.”
Autumn. Alina. Secrets and perfection of the old masters. She will try to forget him. He will try to forget her. A form to which the Impressionists attached too little importance. He must paint a pastel portrait of Jane, Madame Charpentier's youngest daughter. One of the next days he is invited to dinner with Madame Charpentier. And in his soul deeply penetrated the love that does not want to die. Once, as a teenager, while working in a porcelain factory, he saw a "little, furious man" who was painting. “It was Ingres. He held a notebook in his hand, he made a sketch, threw it away, started a new one, and in the end in one step made such a perfect drawing, as if he had been working on it for a week. Love sprinkled his soul like dew. The love he wants to protect himself from. Ingres with his amazingly precise line. And suddenly Renoir left Paris for Italy. “I was suddenly on fire to see Raphael,” he wrote from Venice to Madame Charpentier.
At that time, the Italians were not very friendly towards the French, who signed a treaty in Bordeaux in May, establishing their protectorate over Tunisia. But Renoir had little interest in the Italians. He was not interested in cities or architectural monuments of Italy. Milan and Padua quickly bored him, as after a while - Florence. Milan Cathedral "with its lacy marble roof, of which the Italians are so proud"? Renoir shrugged his shoulders: "Nonsense!" In addition, all these cities seemed to him extremely dull. And yet Venice was too lively and colorful for him to remain indifferent to it. “What a miracle the Doge's Palace! This white and pink marble was probably a bit cold at first. But I saw him after the sun had gilded him for several centuries in a row, and what a charm it is!
Renoir opened his paint box again and painted the palace as seen from the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. He also painted St. Mark's Cathedral and the gondolas on the Grand Canal. The paintings of Tiepolo and Carpaccio were a joyful discovery for him. However, he soon left for the south, because he came to Italy to see Raphael. In Florence (“There are few places in the world where I would be so bored. Seeing all these black and white buildings, it seemed to me that I had a chessboard in front of me!”) He could study the first painting by Raphael - “Madonna in an armchair” from the palace Pitty. This picture was so famous that Renoir, in his own words, went to look at her "for the sake of laughter." “And now I saw such a free, so confident, such a marvelously simple and full-blooded painting that it is impossible to imagine better: arms, legs - all living flesh, and what a touching expression of maternal tenderness!”
Arriving in Rome, Renoir did not become interested in the city and ran to watch Raphael. The creations of the author of "Madonna in the Chair" - the stanzas of the Vatican and the frescoes of Farnesina - deeply moved him. “This is beautiful, and I should have seen it earlier,” Renoir remarked, not without sadness. “It is full of knowledge and wisdom. Raphael did not strive, like me, for the impossible. But it's wonderful. In oil painting, I prefer Ingres. But the frescoes are magnificent in their simplicity and grandeur.”
When Renoir wrote these words to Durand-Ruel in November, he was already in Naples, where he discovered the art of Pompeii. "These priestesses in their silver-gray tunics are just the spitting image of the nymphs of Koro." After the shock caused by acquaintance with Raphael, the stunning impression of the frescoes of Pompeii further aggravated the artist's confusion. With the help of a range of colors reduced to primary colors, the authors of ancient frescoes, who impeccably mastered the secrets of their craft, created incomparable works. “And it is felt that they did not at all seek to sit out a masterpiece. Some merchant or courtesan ordered the artist to paint his house, and he tried to revive the smooth wall - that's all. No geniuses! No emotional experiences! ... In our time, we are all brilliant, for example, but one thing is certain - we no longer know how to draw a hand and do not know the basics of our craft.
Renoir painted with passionate persistence, erasing what he had written and re-covering the canvas, dissatisfied with himself, in the grip of what he called "the disease of the search." “I am like a school student. A blank page should be filled out without blots - and on you! - blot. I still plant blots, although I am already forty years old, ”he confessed to Durand-Ruel, asking him to excuse him in advance if he did not bring many works from the trip. The journey ultimately brought him a very relative satisfaction. “I keep driving around, just so I don’t have to go back to it,” he told Dedon. In the hotel where Renoir lived at the boarding house, almost all of his companions were priests, and one of them, a native of Calabria, advised Renoir to go to this area. Renoir made a short excursion there, and Calabria delighted him. “I have seen miracles… If I ever travel again, I will come back here.” However, the longing for Paris seized him more and more deeply. "I dream of my native land, and, in my opinion, the ugliest Parisian is better than the most beautiful Italian."
Returning to Naples, Renoir painted still lifes and “figures”, “and this,” he said, “makes me waste a lot of time in vain: I have as many models as I like, but it’s worth any of them to sit on a chair, turn three-quarters of a turn and fold hands on my knees - and it makes me sick to look.
A little later, Renoir settled in Capri. He was the only Frenchman on the island. "Magnificent" weather, immaculately blue sea, orange and olive trees, flowers, Vesuvian sulfur wines and frutti di mare soup somewhat improved his mood. In Capri, he created one of his best Italian paintings - "Blonde Bather", which he painted in a boat in a sun-drenched bay. In this work, noticeable changes in texture are already felt, the triumph of lines and volume, everything that the turning point should have led to - painful, like any breakdown - that Renoir was experiencing at that time. The mother-of-pearl-skinned girl, more Scandinavian than Neapolitan, exposes her flawless body to the light that emphasizes her strong contours. How far is Renoir now from the quivering flickers of Impressionism! The lessons of Raphael and the frescoes of Pompeii and the older lessons of Ingres are beginning to bear fruit. “I like painting,” the artist will later say, “when it looks eternal.” These words almost completely echo the words of Cezanne: "I wanted to turn impressionism into something solid and lasting, like museum art." Both artists, emerging from Impressionism, strove, each with their own means, towards the same goal that lay outside of it.
From the issue of Le Petit Journal, which happened to be in Capri, Renoir learned that on November 14 in France, Gambetta formed a government and appointed Manet's friend, Antonin Proust, as Minister of Fine Arts. By order of Proust, at the sale of works by Courbet at the Hotel Drouot, three paintings were purchased for the Louvre, including Man with a Leather Belt. According to Dure, this purchase was a kind of "public repentance, a tribute to the memory of Courbet". Renoir was very happy about this. He rightly believed that Proust would not hesitate to present the Order of the Legion of Honor to Manet - this would be another "public repentance." Here is what he wrote to his senior colleague in art: “Finally, we have a minister who guesses that painting exists in France ... I hope that upon returning to the capital I will be able to greet you as a beloved and officially recognized artist. You, - Renoir added, - are a cheerful fighter, who does not hate anyone, like an ancient Gaul, and for this gaiety that does not leave you, even when you are treated unfairly, I love you. It has been a year since the state ceased to exercise guardianship over art. From now on, the artists themselves had to organize exhibitions in the Salon, but the spirit of academicism that permeated them did not weaken from this. But still, this year Manet was among those whose paintings were accepted “out of competition”. His struggle was coming to an end, but his life, alas! - too, because Manet was terminally ill.
Renoir hoped to return to France on 15 January. But a letter from one of the most famous Wagnerians, Jules de Breuer, forced him to postpone his departure. From November 5, Richard Wagner lived in Palermo, where he finished Parsifal. Breuer and other Wagnerians wanted Renoir to paint a portrait of the composer. In a rather gloomy mood, the artist went by sea to Sicily. “At least fifteen hours of seasickness in the future,” he grumbled.
Arriving in Palermo, he boarded the first hotel omnibus he came across, which took him to the Hotel de France. From there, Renoir went in search of the composer. In the end, he learned that he was staying at the Hotel de Palmes. On the same evening, Renoir appeared to Wagner. He was met by a gloomy servant, who disappeared somewhere and, returning after a short absence, announced that they could not accept him. The next morning, Renoir, beginning to lose patience, again appeared at the Hotel de Palmes. He had only one desire: to return to Naples as soon as possible. But then a young blond man came out, looking like an Englishman. In fact, it was the German artist Paul von Yukowski. Yukowski explained to Renoir that it was today - it was January 13, 1882 - that Wagner was finishing the last bars of his Parsifal, that he was in an extremely "sickly and nervous state, stopped eating, etc." Yukowski asked the artist to postpone his departure for a day. Renoir agreed, the meeting was scheduled for tomorrow. The next day, at five o'clock, Wagner finally received the artist.
“I heard footsteps muffled by the thick carpet. It was a maestro in a velvet suit with large black satin cuffs. He was very handsome and very kind, extended his hand to me, seated me in a chair, and then a most ridiculous conversation began, interspersed with endless “oh!” And “a!”, in a mixture of French and German and with guttural endings. “I am very pleased - ah! O! (guttural sound) - you came from Paris, didn't you? - "No, I came from Naples..." We talked about everything. I said “we”, but I only repeated “dear maestro”, “of course, dear maestro” and got up, about to leave, but he took my hands and put me back in the chair. We talked about the production of Tannhäuser at the Paris Opera, in short, it lasted at least three quarters of an hour ... Then we talked about impressionism in music. What nonsense I have not said! In the end, I was all sweaty, intoxicated and was red as a cancer. In short, when a shy person disperses, you can't stop him. And yet, I don’t know how to explain it, but I felt that he was pleased with me. He can't stand German Jews, including Wolf... I smashed Meyerbeer. In a word, I had time to say plenty of nonsense. And suddenly he said, turning to Mr. Yukowski: “If tomorrow at noon I feel well, I can pose for you until dinner. You'll have to be indulgent - I'll do what I can, but don't be angry with me if I can't stand it. Mr. Renoir, ask Mr. Yukowsky if he minds that you also paint my portrait, if, of course, it does not interfere with him ... "
January 15 at noon, Renoir with his brushes stood in front of Wagner. The session turned out to be as short as possible. Wagner gave the artist only thirty-five minutes. During these thirty-five minutes, Renoir painted a portrait of the composer. "ABOUT! Wagner exclaimed, looking at the canvas. “I look like a Protestant pastor!”
On January 22, Renoir received five hundred francs from Durand-Ruel at the Marseille post office. As early as January 17, from Naples, he asked the merchant to send him this money on demand so that he could get to Paris. But during this time, Renoir's plans changed. He met Cézanne, and since the weather was almost spring in Provence at that time, Renoir decided to stay for two weeks with his friend in Estaque near Marseille - in "a little place like Asnières, only on the seashore," he explained to Durand - Ruel.
Cezanne, who had a house in Estac, often came here and painted olive trees among the rocky peaks and pines on the Nerth mountain range or the bay, which was closed in the distance by the hills of Marselver. The Aix artist was not a very sociable companion. Failure made him closed. But just in the first weeks of 1882, he was waiting for his old dream to come true and he would be exhibited at the nearest Salon. An acquaintance of Cezanne Guillemet, an artist of the most ordinary talent, who was a member of the jury, promised him to use his right of "mercy" so that Cezanne was admitted to the Palace of Industry. The situation is ridiculous, almost grotesque, but Cezanne rejoiced at her like a child and therefore received Renoir especially cordially. And the questions that both artists asked during this period of their work, their similar doubts at that time, also contributed a lot to rapprochement, despite everything that separated them and so distinguished them from each other. In comparison with the life of Cezanne, with this harsh, ascetic existence, stubbornly striving for the glacial heights of unattainable perfection and overshadowed by longing and oppressive uncertainty, Renoir's life, even in this crisis period, seemed easy and joyful. A real rose garden. “I have the sun here all the time, and I can erase what I have written and start again as much as I like ...,” Renoir wrote to Madame Charpentier, informing her that he was postponing his return to Paris. “And so I spend time in the sun, but not to paint portraits in sunlight, but just bask and try to look as much as possible, hoping in this way to achieve the grandeur and simplicity of the old masters.”
With whom, if not with Cezanne, could Renoir discuss with such enthusiasm what he saw and learned during his trip to Italy? This, no doubt, was one of the reasons that prompted him to linger in Estaca. But there was probably another, more hidden, but undoubtedly deeper than the first. Did Renoir try to delay the moment when he would meet Alina again and in him they would fight for and against with renewed vigor? A trip to Italy did not resolve his doubts. Renoir did not manage to forget the one that chose him.
Stay in Estaca ended rather badly. In the first days of February, the flu, the "cruel" flu, put the artist to bed. From that moment on, the "country of sea urchins," as Cezanne called it, lost most of its charm in Renoir's eyes, and now he impatiently dreamed of returning to Paris. But that didn't happen very soon. The flu turned into pneumonia. Edmond rushed to his sick brother, near whom Cezanne bustled with tender solicitude. “He was ready to drag his whole house to my bed,” said the touched Renoir. On the 19th the doctor announced that the patient was "out of danger," but still he hardly took any food.
In the meantime, letters arrived, which Renoir, exhausted by illness, read with great irritation. He tore and threw against the Kaen family. “As for a hundred and fifty francs from the Cahens,” he wrote to Dedon, “let me say that this is simply unheard of. Worst miser I have not met. I will definitely not have any more dealings with the Jews.” On the other hand, Durand-Ruel asked, even insisted - and this especially annoyed Renoir - that he take part in the upcoming, seventh, exhibition of the Impressionists, about which Caillebotte had already written to him.
Two or three months earlier, Caillebotte, not embarrassed by the previous failure, again took steps to organize a homogeneous exhibition, which he so dreamed of, hoping this time to persuade Degas. But Degas only got angry. And I had to start all over again, because Pissarro, like the year before, was clearly not in the mood to break with Degas. But Gauguin, who shared the point of view of Caillebotte, announced to Pissarro that he, for his part, would refuse to participate in the exhibition, since Degas did not want to give in, and that Guillaumin would undoubtedly do the same. Thus, Pissarro found himself almost completely alone with Degas and his friends. He had no choice but to give consent to Caillebotte. But Caillebotte was wrong if he assumed that now everything would go like clockwork. Monet was asked for prior consent - he refused. Sisley said he would follow Monet's lead. Renoir referred to the fact that he was ill. Berthe Morisot "abstained". Cezanne, warned by Pissarro, declared that "he has nothing".
The unpleasantly surprised Caillebotte was already asking himself, not without bitterness, whether he would have to abandon his plans, when Durand-Ruel unexpectedly intervened in the negotiations, whose affairs took the most gloomy turn for several days: at the end of January, the General Union bank collapsed, Feder was arrested.
For Durand-Ruel, the collapse of the Catholic Bank had the most dramatic consequences. The merchant again had to rely only on his own funds. In addition, the burden of a huge liability fell on him, he was obliged to pay off the advances issued by Feder as soon as possible. Since his financial situation was worse than ever, Durand-Ruel, in his own words, had to "make money out of everything" and fight with even more energy so as not to die. And since he linked his fate with the Impressionists, then they must win. Let them stop their bickering for a while. From now on, Durand-Ruel himself will take over the organization of their exhibition, which will open in the halls of the Reichshofen Panorama at 251 Rue Saint-Honore.
Renoir, slowly recovering from pneumonia, opposed what he called the "Pissarro-Gauguin combination." While still in bed, on February 24, he dictated to Edmond a letter addressed to Durand-Ruel, in which he formally refused to participate in the exhibition. The merchant turned to him with a new request: he wanted to exhibit those Renoir paintings that belonged to him. “The paintings that you bought from me are your property,” Renoir answered him in a telegram sent on the morning of February 26, “I cannot prevent you from disposing of them, but I am not exhibiting them.” On the same day, still lying in bed, he hastily drafted a letter himself, and dictated another, and sent both through Edmond.
“Exhibiting with Pissarro, Gauguin and Guillaumin is like exhibiting with some social group ... The public does not like it when it smells of politics, and at my age I do not want to be a revolutionary. Staying with the Israeli Pissarro is a revolution. Besides, these gentlemen know that I have stepped forward thanks to the Salon. So they need to quickly deprive me of what I have achieved. They make every effort to do this, and when I slip, they will back away from me. I don't want it, I don't want it Get rid of these people and give me such artists as Manet, Sisley, Morisot, etc., and I am yours, because this is no longer politics, but pure art ... Therefore, I refuse and again refuse. But you can exhibit my paintings, which belong to you, without my permission. They are yours, and I will not exercise my right to prevent you from disposing of them at your discretion if it is on your own behalf. Let's just agree firmly that the paintings signed by me are exhibited by you, their owner, and not by me. Under this condition, in the catalog, on posters, in prospectuses - everywhere it will be said that my canvases are the property of the names ... and exhibited by Durand-Ruel. Thus, I will not be "independent" against my will ... You should not be offended by my refusal, because it is not directed against you, but only against these gentlemen, with whom I do not want to act for my own good, for reasons of taste and in your own interest.
Finally, on the eve of the vernissage, Renoir sent Durand-Ruel a calmer letter, in which he expressed his consent to participate in the exhibition, but did not fail to emphasize:
“I ask you to tell these gentlemen that I am not going to give up the Salon ... I hope they will forgive me this little weakness. Well, if I exhibit with Guillaumin, I can exhibit with Carolus-Duran ... "
In May, a portrait by Renoir was to be exhibited at the Salon.
At the will of the merchant, the composition of the group has changed. The old participants eventually yielded more or less readily.
In fact, the group as such has now become a historical concept. And yet, it has never appeared before the public so monolithically, as if, in fact, despite the deepening differences and mutual dissatisfaction, the Impressionists, before finally dispersing, wanted to demonstrate their unity - the unity in which they will be perceived by the public in the future. Almost all the extras are gone. Only nine artists were represented in the halls on the Rue Saint-Honoré. However, except for the two absentees, Degas and Cezanne, all those who truly created Impressionism, those to whom it owes its significance, who ensured its long and fruitful life, turned out to be shoulder to shoulder at this seventh exhibition, which the critics accepted calmly and even favorably. . (“Durand-Ruel must have handled the press,” Eugène Manet wrote.) Renoir, Monet, Sisley, Pissarro, Berthe Morisot, and Caillebotte, the benefactor of the group, coexisted here with Pissarro’s three friends: Victor Vignon, Guillaumin, and Gauguin—the same Gauguin, whom Renoir and Monet did not like so much. But Gauguin's participation in this exhibition now, after the lapse of time, acquires in our eyes, in the eyes of posterity, a particularly deep meaning, because it anticipates the future, what tomorrow was to be born from impressionism, those victories, daring, which without impressionism and of his ungrateful father Manet, without the profound upheaval they caused, would not have been possible.
Among the two hundred works presented at the exhibition, Durand-Ruel showed twenty-five paintings by Renoir, among them "Breakfast of the Rowers". The artist was very worried about the impression his canvases make. He also somewhat regretted the excessive harshness that he showed in his correspondence with Durand-Ruel, he feared that he had not behaved "prudently" enough. Moreover, he was in a hurry to return to Paris, where, after he had “learned a lot,” he had “a lot to do,” he wrote to Georges Rivière. But the doctor resolutely opposed his return and advised him to stay at least another two weeks in the south and receive medical treatment. Since Cezanne, who could not find a place for himself because of the upcoming Salon, was going to leave Estac for Paris on March 3-4, Renoir decided to return to Algiers. Lot, who had come to Estac for him, was to accompany him. And in Algiers, Korday and Lestrange were waiting for them.
Renoir considered this new trip simply as an unfortunate "delay". He only hoped that the company of friends would brighten her up. And he also wanted to use it so that, as soon as he regained some strength, he could start writing. Last time he brought only landscapes from Algiers, this time he decided to satisfy Durand-Ruel's desire and paint some portraits. As soon as Renoir settled in Algiers at 30 La Marine Street, he began to look for models. “And it’s so difficult,” he wrote to the merchant, “the whole point is who outwit whom ... I saw children here of unheard of colorful. Will you be able to get them? I will do everything in my power for this ... You probably consider me insufferable, ”he added,“ but getting a sitter even in Algeria is becoming increasingly difficult. It's just unbearable. If you only knew how many bad artists there are. The English, in particular, spoil the few women they can count on. But still, I hope to bring you something. It is so beautiful".
Completely recovered from his illness, the artist was already working enthusiastically by the end of March. So enthusiastically that at the beginning of April he postponed his return to France for at least a month. The fiery sun of Africa conquered him. Indeed, what magic! Once, when Renoir was working with Lot in an Algerian village, friends suddenly saw in the distance a “fairy-tale figure” of a man whose clothes sparkled like precious stones. When the man came closer, it turned out to be a beggar in rags... Renoir painted a young Arab Ali, Algerian women, a porter from Biskra... He also painted a French woman in an Algerian costume, and one look at this picture with its deliberate exoticism is enough to see how Renoir is in ultimately remained indifferent and immune to what was alien to the spirit of his race. “Why go to all these Eastern countries of yours? Don't you have your own country? ” – once wrote a native of Franche-Comte Courbet.
A few weeks spent in Algiers restored Renoir's strength, and in May he left for France. Six or seven months have passed since he left Paris. But the journey solved nothing, nothing. The paintings of Raphael, the frescoes of Pompeii, conversations with Cezanne only strengthened the artist in the conviction that he still had a lot to learn. No, the journey didn't solve anything. Except for one doubt: Renoir wrote to Alina Charigot that he would be happy if she came to meet him at the train station in Paris.
(1841-1919) - a great French artist, one of the founders of impressionism. The artist's collection contains a large number of paintings, which today are considered real masterpieces of world art and the heritage of mankind. One of the most remarkable works of Renoir is the painting " Rowers breakfast».
The painting "Breakfast of the Rowers" was painted in 1880-1881. Canvas, oil. 130 × 173 cm. Currently in the Phillips Collection Museum in Washington. This work is remarkable not only for the special handwriting of the great French artist, who, together with other masters, glorified the art of impressionism throughout the world, but also for the fact that it is literally a documentary canvas. The painting depicts real people, friends of Renoir, whom he immortalized in one of his excellent paintings.
To the left, Alina Sharigot (1859-1915), who was originally Renoir's model, and then became his wife, sits at a table in a hat with flowers. Opposite, in a white T-shirt and yellow hat, is the famous painter and collector of Impressionist paintings, Gustave Caillebotte (1848-1894). Behind Alina Sharigo is the son of the owner of the restaurant where the meeting of friends takes place, who was responsible for the rental of boats - Alphonse Fournes. Further, with his back to the viewer is Raoul Bardieu - baron, war hero and ex-mayor of Saigon. The lady in the yellow hat, leaning her elbow on the railing, is the daughter of the owner of the restaurant, Alfonsina Fournes. The lady who drinks from a glass is an actress, model of Renoir, Edouard Manet and Edgar Degas - Ellen Andre (1857-1925). In the far left corner, two men are talking - the poet and critic Jules Laforgue (1860-1887) and the man in the top hat Charles Ephrussi, who was a collector and publisher, in particular, was engaged in the publication of the Gazette des Beaux-Arts. In the far right corner is a trio: Renoir's actress and model Jeanne Samary (1857-1890), opposite Renoir's friend, an employee of the Ministry of the Interior, Pierre Lestringue, and Renoir's friend, journalist and writer Paul Lot in the middle. The lady in the blue dress is the model, actress and singer Angel Lego. Next to Angel is the Italian journalist Antonio Maggiolo.
The meeting of friends takes place in the Fournaise restaurant, which is located a little west of Paris, in the city of Chatou on the island of the Seine. It is worth noting that the restored Dom Fournaise restaurant still operates today. This restaurant was the favorite place of Pierre Auguste Renoir. In addition to the "Breakfast of the Rowers", some other paintings were also painted here.
The group portrait is devoid of any solemnity and splendor. The meeting takes place in an easy and relaxed atmosphere. All the characters in the picture are completely relaxed and discuss everyday affairs. There are many fruits on the table and several bottles of wine, which are already open and partially drunk. The picture is very colorful and sunny. The viewer has a feeling of carefree rest from a joyful meeting with beloved friends.
The painting "Breakfast of the Rowers" Renoir
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Rowers breakfast. Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
The Rowers' Breakfast is one of Pierre-Auguste Renoir's most famous works and one of the most famous depictions of an outdoor picnic in art history. The picture shows a joyful moment among friends chatting in a relaxed atmosphere. However, few people know a number of facts related to this work of the cult impressionist.
1. The theme of the painting corresponds to changes in early impressionism 
Landscape near Kanye.
In the early days of Impressionism, urban scenes were one of the dominant themes in paintings. By 1881, when Renoir completed his masterpiece, the image of suburban landscapes became more popular in Impressionism. The scene depicted on The Rowers' Breakfast was painted about 30 minutes by train from the hustle and bustle of Paris.
2. The painting displayed a new understanding of the depth of the image 
Ball at the Moulin de la Galette.
About four years before the Rowers' Breakfast, Renoir painted Ball at the Moulin de la Galette, which also depicts a public picnic in Paris. But, unlike this picture, in the "Breakfast of the Rowers" the boundaries are more clearly defined. Also, due to the greater attention to the contours of the images, the illusion of volume and depth of the image is created.
3. "Breakfast of the Rowers" 
The size of the painting is 173x130 cm.
"Breakfast of the Rowers" is one of Renoir's largest paintings. Its dimensions are 173x130 cm.
4. The plot of the picture was inspired by a popular holiday destination in Paris 
Restaurant Dom Fournaise.
Restaurant "Dom Fournaise" in the city of Chatou (near Paris) overlooking the Seine River was a favorite place among people of all social status. As shown in "The Rowers' Breakfast", businessmen, socialites, seamstresses and artists were frequent customers of this restaurant. Renoir was also very fond of this place and depicted many of his acquaintances on it.
5. The restaurant can still be visited today 
The House of Fournaise today is a museum, an artist's workshop and a restaurant.
The Fournaise restaurant closed in 1906. But, almost a century later, in 1990, its complete restoration was carried out, after which the restaurant gained its former popularity. In addition, the "Fournaise House" now boasts a museum and an artists' studio with reproductions of the Impressionists.
6. Renoir's closest friends can be found in the painting. 
The artist Caillebotte talks with actress Angel Lego and journalist Maggiolo.
The artist took turns inviting his friends to the restaurant to pose for him. In the background, seated in a top hat is Charles Ephrussi, an art collector and historian. He is talking to the poet Jules Laforgue. On the right are Renoir's buddies Eugene Pierre Lestringue (an employee of the Ministry of the Interior) and Paul Lot (a journalist), who flirts with the famous actress Jeanne Samary. In the lower right corner, Renoir's wealthy patron and fellow painter Caillebotte is shown talking to actress Angele Lego and Italian journalist Maggiolo.
7. A girl with a puppy became Renoir's wife and model for his paintings. 
Renoir repeatedly portrayed his wife in paintings.
Alina Sharigo, who worked as a seamstress and periodically worked as a model for artists, began a passionate affair with an impressionist artist. Although their first son was born in 1885, the couple officially married only in 1890. In total, Renoir and Charigot had three children. The artist has repeatedly depicted his wife in paintings such as "Dance in the Village", "Breakfast of the Rowers", "Madame Renoir with a Dog" and "Motherhood".
8. There is a restaurant owner's family in the picture. 
Daughter of restaurant owner Alfonsinca Fournes.
Alphonse Fournaise opened the restaurant in 1860. Twenty years later, Renoir portrayed Alphonse in the painting "Breakfast of the Rowers" with the children. The girl who leaned on the railing is the daughter of the owner of the restaurant, Alfonsinca Fournaise. And her brother Alphonse Fournes Jr. can be found in the lower left corner of the picture.
9. Local jovial 
Former mayor of colonial Saigon, Baron Raoul Barbier.
In the picture you can find the former mayor of colonial Saigon, Baron Raoul Barbier, who was the soul of any company. He sits in a bowler hat and tells something to Miss Fournes.
10. Woman with a glass - famous actress and model 
French actress Ellen Andre.
Right in the center of the picture is Ellen Andre, who seems to be isolated from other people and does not talk to anyone. The French actress is best remembered as a model for the Impressionist painters. In addition to "Breakfast of the Rowers", she was depicted in the paintings of Edouard Manet "Plum" and Edgar Degas "Absinthe".
11. "Breakfast of the Rowers" depicts class confusion in French society 
The birth of a super-new society (based on the Rowers' Breakfast).
Men and women from different walks of life, vacationing together, clearly show how at that time in French culture there was a mixture of different social classes and a new bourgeoisie was created.
12. The painting has become popular since its premiere. 
Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
The Rowers' Breakfast debuted in 1882 at the seventh Impressionist Exhibition, where three critics commented that it was the best painting in the exhibition.
13. Renoir's masterpiece was sold to America 
Paul Durand-Ruel.
For decades, the Rowers' Breakfast was part of the private collection of Renoir's patron Paul Durand-Ruel. But after his death in 1922, the sons of Durand-Ruel put the painting up for sale. It was acquired by the American art collector Duncan Phillips for $125,000. Since then, the Phillips collection can be seen in Washington.
14. Phillips was literally obsessed with a Renoir painting. 
The first American museum of modern art.
Phillips first saw the painting "Breakfast of the Rowers" at an exhibition in New York. She struck him so deeply that the collector literally became obsessed with the canvas. When Phillips heard that The Rowers' Breakfast was up for sale, he made a special rush to France, where he spent the whole year's art budget on the painting.
15. A famous Hollywood actor fantasized about stealing a painting. 
Actor Edward G. Robinson.
During the Golden Age of Hollywood, actor Edward G. Robinson became famous for playing gangsters in films such as Key Largo (1948) and Little Caesar (1931). Off the screen, he was an avid art lover. Robinson once said : "For more than thirty years, I have periodically visited a museum in Washington to look at a Renoir painting. Time after time I invent ways to steal this painting from the museum."
16. Nothing changes 
The picture still excites the minds today.
Auguste Renoir "Breakfast of the Rowers"
The painting "Breakfast of the Rowers" was painted in 1880-1881. Canvas, oil. 130 × 173 cm. Currently in the Phillips Collection Museum in Washington.
The plot of the picture was inspired by a popular holiday destination in Paris.
Restaurant "Dom Fournaise" in the city of Chatou (near Paris) overlooking the Seine River was a favorite place among people of all social status. As shown in "The Rowers' Breakfast", businessmen, socialites, seamstresses and artists were frequent customers of this restaurant. Renoir was also very fond of this place and depicted many of his acquaintances on it.
The Fournaise restaurant closed in 1906. But, almost a century later, in 1990, its complete restoration was carried out, after which the restaurant gained its former popularity. In addition, the "Fournaise House" now boasts a museum and an artists' studio with reproductions of the Impressionists.
The painting depicts real people, friends of Renoir, whom he immortalized in one of his excellent paintings.
To the left, Alina Sharigot (1859-1915), who was originally Renoir's model, and then became his wife, sits at a table in a hat with flowers. Opposite, in a white T-shirt and yellow hat, is the famous painter and collector of Impressionist paintings, Gustave Caillebotte (1848-1894). Behind Alina Sharigo is the son of the owner of the restaurant where the meeting of friends takes place, who was responsible for the rental of boats - Alphonse Fournes. Further, with his back to the viewer is Raoul Bardieu - baron, war hero and ex-mayor of Saigon. The lady in the yellow hat, leaning her elbow on the railing, is the daughter of the owner of the restaurant, Alfonsina Fournes. The lady who drinks from a glass is an actress, model of Renoir, Edouard Manet and Edgar Degas - Ellen Andre (1857-1925). In the far left corner, two men are talking - the poet and critic Jules Laforgue (1860-1887) and the man in the top hat Charles Ephrussi, who was a collector and publisher, in particular, was engaged in the publication of the Gazette des Beaux-Arts. In the far right corner is a trio: Renoir's actress and model Jeanne Samary (1857-1890), opposite Renoir's friend, an employee of the Ministry of the Interior, Pierre Lestringue, and Renoir's friend, journalist and writer Paul Lot in the middle. The lady in the blue dress is the model, actress and singer Angel Lego. Next to Angel is the Italian journalist Antonio Maggiolo.
