The Real Scene Behind a Renoir Masterpiece March 16, 2012

Favorite:

Complete video at http://fora.tv/2012/03/07/Renoir_and_the_Woman_of_Paris_Anne_Distel

Impressionism expert Anne Distel shows Renoir's Bal du Moulin de la Galette and reads a contemporaneous quote about the painting's inspiration. Distel admits that the real setting was "seedy", and far less tame than the painting would suggest.

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In characterizing Renoir's art, Cézanne once said that his old friend had "painted the woman of Paris." Cézanne's insight provides the point of departure for this lecture, which takes a closer look at Renoir's female figures.

Anne Distel, a specialist in Impressionist painting, is emeritus curator-at-large of the French patrimony. During her distinguished career in the Musées de France, she organized important exhibitions devoted to Renoir, Seurat, and Caillebotte, among others.