If you have never been to the Phillips Collection in Washington D.C., you should go. Yes, the collection is the first America's first museum of modern art - it opened in 1921. But ... the Phillips also houses a precious art piece, a favorite of mine, the Luncheon of the Boating Party by Pierre-August Renoir! It is worth to stop by this museum just to see this one painting ...
There are two aspects of this painting that fascinate me.
First, I love paintings that tell a story of the time during which they were created. Renoir depicts a luncheon a time of relaxation in the lives of a group of Renoir's friends. They are by the Seine at the Maison Fournaise restaurant in Chatou. The painting provides an insight into how Parisians dresses at the time, how they socialized, and what they enjoyed doing in their free time. During Renoir's times, the society was changing - different social groups started to mingle - and this restaurant welcomed them all. We can see business men, artists, seamstresses, and writers here.
There are two aspects of this painting that fascinate me.
First, I love paintings that tell a story of the time during which they were created. Renoir depicts a luncheon a time of relaxation in the lives of a group of Renoir's friends. They are by the Seine at the Maison Fournaise restaurant in Chatou. The painting provides an insight into how Parisians dresses at the time, how they socialized, and what they enjoyed doing in their free time. During Renoir's times, the society was changing - different social groups started to mingle - and this restaurant welcomed them all. We can see business men, artists, seamstresses, and writers here.
Luncheon of the Boating Party (1880–81) The Phillips Collection, Acquired 1923
Second, this is a very personal piece for Renoir. Now that we understand how he commented on the changing society he lived in, we can focus on the individual characters in the art work. The Phillips Collection provides a lovely who's who here. I find it fascinating to learn about the people who played a role in the life of an artist who work I enjoy so much. For instance, the actress Ellen Andrée (6) drinks from a glass. Across from her in a brown bowler hat is Baron Raoul Barbier (4), a bon vivant and former mayor of colonial Saigon. Or, the young woman with a dog (1) is Aline Charigot (1), a seamstress Renoir had recently met and would later marry.
There is so much to learn about Renoir's masterpiece. He does a wonderful job telling a story in his Luncheon and it is well worth seeing it in person as to admire the size and the vivid colors. So, stop at the Phillips Collection to see one of it's most prized possessions!