Luncheon of the Boating Party
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1880-81
Luncheon of the Boating Party (in French: Le déjeuner des canotiers) was painted by French impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir in 1880 – 1881. The painting is acclaimed for its refined brushwork and eye-catching color palette and celebrated for simultaneously showcasing Renoir’s three signature subjects: portraiture, still-life depictions, and en plein air settings.
Subject Matter
The subject of the painting is a group of Renoir’s friends relaxing on a balcony at the Maison Fournaise along the Seine river in Chatou, France. The Maison Fournaise was a restaurant, rowboat rental place, and hotel on the banks of the Îsle de Chatou. Located just outside of Paris, the establishment was a popular destination for people interested in escaping the hustle and bustle of the city. Here, they could sit by the Seine and take in Chatou’s scenic views by boat, balcony, or—in many cases—both.
On top of its idyllic location and authentic cuisine, Renoir was particularly interested in the site for its people-watching and artistic potential.
“You could find me any time at Fournaise’s. There, I was fortunate enough to find as many splendid creatures as I could possibly desire to paint.”
Composition
The painter and art patron Gustave Caillebotte is seated in the lower right. Renoir’s future wife, Aline Charigot, is in the foreground playing with a small dog. The singlets of both men in the foreground and the table-cloth both work together to reflect this light and send it through the whole composition. On the table is fruit and wine.
The diagonal of the railing serves to demarcate the two halves of the composition, one densely packed with figures, the other all but empty, save for the two figures of the proprietor’s daughter Louise-Alphonsine Fournaise and her brother, Alphonse Fournaise, Jr, which are made prominent by this contrast.
In this painting Renoir has captured a great deal of light. The main focus of light is coming from the large opening in the balcony, beside the large singleted man in the hat. The singlets of both men in the foreground and the table-cloth all work together to reflect this light and send it through the whole composition.
There has been some issue taken with the cleaning of the original art work. Due to a somewhat failed cleaning in the past, the Luncheon of the Boating Party has lost some of its original shine, reducing the harmony of the painting as it can be viewed today at the The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. Our reproduced versions however contain the full harmony and color of the original Renoir composition.
Other Featurd Works
Cafe Terrace at Night
Vincent Van Gogh, 1888
Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers
Vincent Van Gogh, 1888