In Paris this fall, there was a large exposition at the Grand Palais of Renoir. It was very popular. We have season passes to the Grand Palais, so we went. It was very crowded with many tour groups. We made the mistake of going on a Wednesday afternoon. School is out on Wednesdays, and there were many young children's groups as well.
I think the ease of looking at Renoir's work is what makes it so popular. A lot of pink-skinned, healthy looking women, some scenes, like the one above of middle class people having fun and of course, the nudes.
My friend, Caroline, told me a long story about how well-received Renoir was during his lifetime, and how he continued to paint into old age despite extremely bad arthritis.
I tried to enjoy the exposition, but even though the paintings are beautiful, it is not my taste.
Today, I received the bi-monthly bulletin from LACMA (Los Angeles Museum of Art) of which I am also a member. Just like the Grand Palais, they have several major exhibitions every year. Note that they say "expositions" in French and "exhibitions" in English. I always mix the two up.
The cover photo for the LACMA catalog is a huge Renoir painting. Hmmm. I looked inside to learn that LACMA will have a major Renoir exhibition starting in February. This show has been organized in conjunction with le Reunion des Musees Nationaux (France) and le Musee d'Orsay. Hmmmm. Didn't I just see this?
The description of the exhibition claims that this is new. They go further to compare Renoir's later work to the Old Masters, as he moved away from his Impressionist roots.
I'll have to go, it's free with membership. Maybe I'll see it in a new light. I'm open.
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