Cathy's Art Diary

Clever online lecture from the National Gallery looking at two paintings in their collection by Renoir. Belle Smith looked at “The Skiff” from 1875 and “Umbrellas” from 1881-6 on first site to compare how Renoir treated sunshine and rain. A nice idea for early summer. However she then expanded this out to compare his early Impressionist and later style as he turned more towards classicism. She talked about the new innovations in metal paint tubes, flat topped brushes and new pigments which allowed the Impressionists to work in their characteristic quick style. She also talked about how they looked to new subjects to record the contemporary world.  

Interesting online lecture from the National Gallery looking at two sets of paintings by Renoir and Vuillard that were painted for decorative schemes. Belle Smith started talking about “The Dancing Girls” By Renoir from 1909. She explained how the two pictures were commissioned by Maurice Gagnat for his Paris apartment. She talked about who the models were and one of their memories of it in later life. She discussed how the works fitted into his oeuvre and how the displayed Orientalism. Smith then looked at “Terrasse at Vasouy” by Vuillard, again two pictures painted in 1901 and reworked in the 1930s. She talked about how they were commissioned as one picture by Jean Schopfer and included people from the literary circle around Thadee and Misia Natanson. She discussed how they were painted in distemper, basically glue with pigment in it and how this gave a more matt effect. She then looked at why the picture was split in the 1930s and how Vuillard reworked it.

Insightful online lecture from Courtauld Research Forum and Ulster Museums on the fashions of the Belle Epoque and in particular an analysis of the dress in Renoir’s “La Loge”. This lecture marked two exhibitions at the Ulster Museums, a loan of various Renoir’s, including “La Loge” from the Courtauld and their own companion show on fashion in the Belle Epoque ie from 1870s to the start of the First World War. Charlotte McReynolds gave us a brief overview of the Belle Epoque exhibition then Ingrid Mida, a picture dating consultant, also known as The Dress Detective took us thought the finer detail of the dress in “La Loge”   revealing that at the date it was painted, 1874, the striped dress would have been slightly old fashioned. This may have been a deliberate statement about the woman by Renoir, or it might be that at this period he had to borrow outfits for his models. Mida compared the picture to real clothes, fashion plates and photographs of the time and looked at what...

Fun lunchtime talk at the National Gallery on Renoir’s “Dancing Girl with Castanets”. This talk pitched two regular speakers at the gallery against each other to talk for (Jo Rhymer) and against (Richard Stemp) the picture. It was a playful argument and in amongst the different discussion you learnt a lot about the picture, why is was painted, where is say in Renoir’s career and it’s possible symbolism. It also addressed whether taste should be part of looking at a picture art historically. In the end I was firmly in Richard’s camp. I’ve always thought this picture, and its pair, where hideous. Although they make more sense now I know they were painted as decorative panels I do worry what colour the walls were to match the awful background colour. Note to Farrow and Ball, don’t try to reproduce that one!

Small exhibition at the Courtauld Institute focusing on Renoir’s ‘La Loge’ which they own. The exhibition looks at the loge of box as a subject for painting in the 1870’s, which was a new subject looking at modern life. Up till then boxes had been used in caricatures and fashion plates and the exhibition looks at both of these. It also brought together paintings by the Impressionists of this subject four by Renoir, two by Cassatt and one by Degas. The setting seems to give the opportunity to paint portraits of people, framed by the box and concentrating on what’s going on around them, seeing and being seen. Reviews Times Time Out