sionists. Most of her paintings focus on domestic subjects, the one
realm of Parisian life where society allowed an upper-class woman
such as Morisot free access, but she also produced many outdoor
scenes. Morisot’s considerable skills are evident in Villa at the Seaside
(FIG. 31-7). Both the subject and style correlate well with Impres-
sionist concerns. The setting is the shaded veranda of a summer ho-
tel at a fashionable seashore resort. A woman elegantly but not os-
tentatiously dressed sits gazing out across the railing to a sunlit
beach with its umbrellas and bathing cabins. Her child, its discarded
toy boat a splash of red, is attentive to the passing sails on the placid
sea. The mood is of relaxed leisure. Morisot used the open brush-
work and the plein air (outdoor) lighting characteristic of Impres-
sionism. Sketchy brush strokes record her quick perceptions. No-
where did Morisot linger on contours or enclosed details. She
presented the scene in a slightly filmy soft focus that conveys a feel-
ing of airiness. The composition also recalls the work of other Im-
pressionists. The figures fall informally into place, as someone who
shared their intimate space would perceive them. Morisot was both
immensely ambitious and talented, as her ability to catch the pic-
torial moment demonstrates. She escaped the hostile criticism di-
rected at most of the other Impressionists. People praised her work
for its sensibility, grace, and delicacy.PIERRE-AUGUSTE RENOIR Another facet of the new in-
dustrialized Paris that drew the Impressionists’ attention was the
leisure activities of its inhabitants. Scenes of dining, dancing, the
café-concerts, the opera, the ballet, and other forms of urban recre-
ation were mainstays of Impressionism. Although seemingly un-
related, industrialization facilitated these pursuits. With the advent
of set working hours, people’s schedules became more regimented,
allowing them to plan their favorite pastimes.Le Moulin de la Galette
(FIG. 31-8) by Pierre-Auguste Renoir(1841–1919) depicts throngs
of people gathered in a popular Parisian dance hall. Some crowd the
tables and chatter, while others dance energetically. So lively is the at-
mosphere that the viewer can virtually hear the sounds of music,
laughter, and tinkling glasses. The painter dappled the whole scene
with sunlight and shade, artfully blurred into the figures to produce
just the effect of floating and fleeting light the Impressionists so culti-
vated. Renoir’s casual, unposed placement of the figures and the sug-
gested continuity of space, spreading in all directions and only acci-
dentally limited by the frame, position the viewer as a participant
rather than as an outsider. Whereas classical art sought to express
universal and timeless qualities, Impressionism attempted to depict
just the opposite—the incidental, momentary, and passing aspects of
reality (see “Renoir on the Art of Painting,” above).M
any 19th-century artists were concerned with the theoretical
basis of picture making. One of the most cogent statements
on this subject is Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s concise summary of how
he, as an Impressionist, painted pictures (for example,FIG. 31-8) and
what he hoped to achieve as an artist.
I arrange my subject as I want it, then I go ahead and paint it, like a
child. I want a red to be sonorous, to sound like a bell; if it doesn’t turnout that way, I add more reds and other colors until I get it. I am
no cleverer than that. I have no rules and no methods;...I have no
secrets. I look at a nude; there are myriads of tiny tints. I must find
the ones that will make the flesh on my canvas live and quiver....
[If viewers] could explain a picture, it wouldn’t be art. Shall I tell
you what I think are the two qualities of art? It must be indescrib-
able and it must be inimitable....The work ofart must seize upon
you, wrap you up in itself, carry you away.
It is the means by which the artist conveys
his passions....I want people to feel that
neither the setting nor the figures are dull
and lifeless.** Quoted in Eric Protter, ed.,Painters on Painting
(New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1971), 145.❚ARTISTS ON ART:Renoir on the Art of Painting
ARTISTS ON ARTImpressionism 82731-8Pierre-Auguste Renoir,Le
Moulin de la Galette,1876. Oil on canvas,
4 3 5 8 . Musée d’Orsay, Paris.
Renoir’s painting of this popular Parisian
dance hall is dappled by sunlight and
shade, artfully blurred into the figures to
produce the effect of floating and fleeting
light that the Impressionists cultivated.1 ft.