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By Pierre-Auguste Renoir – Wikimedia

Top 10 Things to Know about Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette by Edward Renoir

Pierre-Auguste Renoir is mainly known for his outdoor depictions through his famous piece Dance at the Moulin de la Galette.

This painting is set in a busy outdoors at a dance hall in Â鶹APP. It gives a glimpse of the life and pleasures of Â鶹APPians during France’s Belle Epoque.

The oil painting was completed in 1876 and is one of the first impressionist artwork by Renoir.

He was among the first artists to embrace this form of art others were Claude Monet, Edgar Degas and Camille Pissarro.

These artists launched an Impressionist exhibition two years before where Renoir showcased his famous painting.

Here are the top 10 things to know about Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette by Edward Renoir.

1. Renoir loved the use of natural light in his painting

Renoir is well known for his delicate brushwork, bright colour palette, and interest in light. He combined these aspects on his favourite subjects in the paintings.

All these are evident in the Dance at Le Moulin de l Galette painting.

There is the element of sunlight with the figures in the painting done in loose flowing brushstrokes.

Most of his subjects in the painting are in black suits and dresses. These dark colours were derived from a mixture of colours.

Renoir uses colour and light to convey the vibrant and jubilant atmosphere at the dancing garden on Bette Montmartre.

The crowd in the painting are also showered in both natural and artificial light.

Renoir achieved this through the use of vivacious and brightly coloured brushstrokes.

2. There is a smaller version of this painting done by Renoir

Smaller Version By Pierre-Auguste Renoir – Wikimedia

There are two versions of Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette.

Renoir painted a smaller version measuring 78cm × 114 cm bearing the same title. This painting is said to be part of a private collection in Switzerland.

These two paintings are identical although the smaller one is said to be more fluid. Art critics cannot, however, tell which of the two is the original.

It is still unknown which of the two paintings was the first to be displayed at the 3^rd Impressionist exhibition in 1877. There was no entry information on the size of the painting being exhibited.

3. It Breaks from Early Impressionist Interests

In the early days of the Impressionist movement, city scenes were one of the central themes.

In 1881 when Renoir completed his masterpiece, Impressionism was taking a new turn, especially in the suburbs.

The scene shown in Luncheon of the Boating Party by Renoir, took place about 30-minute by train from the suburbs of Â鶹APP.

Dance du moulin de la Galette is another archetypal Impressionist snapshot of real life.

It shows a lushness of form, the flexibility of brush strokes, and a dancing, sun-kissed light.

The scene in this painting is believed to be of a Sunday afternoon when the dance hall was open to families with children.

The chandeliers hanging in the trees and lights on the pole are the source of artificial lighting.

4. The painting was taken by the French government as a form of payment

By Rdsmith4 – Wikimedia

Between the years 1879 to 1894, this painting was in the collection of the French painter Gustave Caillebotte.

After his death, it became the property of the French government as payment debt he owed. And so, it was in the Luxembourg Museum in Â鶹APP from 1896 to 1929.

Later in 1929, it was moved to the Louvre Museum then to d’Orsay Museum in 1986.

5. The people in the painting are known to Renoir

Most of the figures in this painting can be identified and were close to Renoir. Renoir used the fashionable hat, timbale, on his subjects that were principal for the painting.

But as seen in this masterpiece, his principal subject is a girl wearing a blue and pink striped dress.

She is the sister to the one wearing the timbale. These two sisters were frequent patrons of Le Moulin.

The other recognized figure in this painting is Rivière, Pierre-Franc Lamy and Norbert Goeneutte who are painters too.

Behind the principal model are Henri Gervex, Eugène Pierre Lestringuez and Paul Lhote who also feature in another of Renoir’s painting.

6. The painting was one of Renoir’s easiest work

By Rdsmith4 – Wikimedia

Renoir’s friend, Rivière, described this painting as having been completed on the spot. This was achieved despite the threat by the wind to blow the canvas away.

Critics, however, dispute this fact by stating that it was the smaller painting that was worked on here because it was easier to control.

Renoir worked on this project of painting the dancing at Le Moulin de la Galette in May 1876.

Before taking up this task, Renoir needed a studio near the mill but found one in an abandoned cottage.

Several of his major works were painted in this garden including La balançoire (The Swing).

The gardens and its buildings were turned into the Musée de Montmartre.

7. The painting was inspired by a popular French hangout

The Maison Fournaise of Chatou, where the dance hall is, overlooks the Seine River.

This location was revered by patrons across class lines. Businessmen, socialites, seamstresses, and artists were all frequent patrons of this restaurant.

Renoir became fascinated with the place and thereby frequently painted there and recruited models from its attractive patrons.

Even after the restaurant was closed in 1906, its historical relevance prompted the locals to lead in its restoration in 1990.

There are a museum and a craft shop at the restaurant that celebrates impressionist art.

8. Renoir did the painting for his close friend

By Rdsmith4 – Wikimedia

The people featured in Bal du moulin de la Galette are not only subjects of the painting but close friends to Renoir.

Renoir asked them to join him at Maison Fournaise to pose for his portraits. These subjects were fellow artists and scholars.

Some of these artists are Charles Ephrussi, Jules Laforgue, Eugène Pierre Lestringuez, Paul Lhote, Jeanne Samary, Gustave Caillebotte, Angèle Legault and Italian journalist Adrien Maggiolo.

9. Part of the people featured in the painting is the Fournaise Family

Alphonse Fournaise owned the painted restaurant in 1860. Some of the subjects featured in the painting were members of his family.

Several years later his family, that was named after him, were featured in Renoir’s famous painting.

For instance, the lady draped over the terrace railing is Alphonsine Fournaise. Her brother Alphonse Fournaise, Jr. is spotted leaning against that same rail in the lower-left corner.

10. The painting was bought by an American

For the longest time, Renoir’s painting remained as a part of the private collection of Paul Durand-Ruel.

After Paul died in 1922, Durand-Ruel’s sons put the piece up for sale.

An American art collector Duncan Phillips bought the art for $125,000. He is the founder of Washington D.C.’s The Phillips Collection.

Phillips made it his mission to bring the evolving art to the United States because he considered it to be one of the greatest paintings in the world.