MUSEE ORSAY, Renoir Moulin De La Galette

The masterpiece before you is known as "Dance at the Moulin de la Galette", and is a perfect example of Pierre-Auguste Renoir's impressionist phase. The venue still exists today, but has been turned into a restaurant, and takes its name from galettes, typical French cookies that were included in the 25 cent entry price.

To paint it, Renoir went to Moulin de La Galette for six months in 1876, trying to fully immerse himself in the atmosphere of joy and fun that the place emanated, which can more generally be applied to all of Paris in those years.

Looking at the picture, you can almost hear the exhilarating music, the rustling of the clothes, and the voices of those who would spend a nice Sunday afternoon in this former mill that had been turned into an outdoor dance hall on Montmartre's hill. Join the party yourself, let the music pull you in, and let your eyes wander around the tables. Isn't it interesting that Renoir painted almost the entire work live, except for the last touches in his workshop? The decisive and vibrant brushstrokes and his free use of color defines the shapes by contrasting between warm and cold tones and between light and shadow.

In the foreground at the bottom, you can see various female figures near two benches, a chair occupied by a man who has his back turned to you, and a table where friends are sitting. On the left a dancing couple is looking at you, almost as if they're inviting you to dance. You may notice that there is no focus in the scene: everyone is equally involved and no one looks isolated. Some people are dancing, some are laughing, some are chatting, and some are resting.

Passionate about portraits, Renoir took advantage of the setting to depict many of his friends and acquaintances, among whom in the foreground group, you can recognize writer Georges Rivière and painters Pierre-Franc Lamy and Norbert Goeneutte. The dancing couple is Cuban painter Don Pedro Vidal de Solares y Cardenas and his model Margot.

As you can see, the foliage of the trees the precious chandeliers hang from almost delineates a ceiling in the painting. The sun filters in through the fringes, illuminating the characters' clothes and sketching dark spots on the ground.

FUN FACT: as I mentioned, Renoir wanted to work on the painting on location, even though the canvas was almost two meters long and one high, and he carried it back and forth from the dance hall every day with a friend's help. It's a good thing he lived nearby!