Clark Art Institute 2 of 11


French: Pierre-Aguste Renoir (1841-1919) 1881 When Renoir first visited Venice in 1881, he was drawn to one of its most famous sights: the facade of the Doge's Palace across from the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. This view was very popular with artists. Renoir joked that there were at least six of us queuing up to paint it. The buidings are painted with considerable accuracy, the soft pinks and creams of their sunlit walls contrasting with therich blue of the sky and feflecting in the undulating waters of the canal. 6,627.22 KB
French: Pierre-Aguste Renoir (1841-1919) 1881 When Renoir first visited Venice in 1881, he was drawn to one of its most famous sights: the facade of the Doge's Palace across from the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. This view was very popular with artists. Renoir joked that "there were at least six of us queuing up to paint it." The buidings are painted with considerable accuracy, the soft pinks and creams of their sunlit walls contrasting with therich blue of the sky and feflecting in the undulating waters of the canal.
 Onions. French: Pierre-Aguste Renoir (1841-1919) 1881. Renoir painted this casual arrangement of onions and garlic piled on crumpled cloth during a visit to Naples in 1881. Clear light and fluid brushstrokes define the onionsround, solid forms and capture the shiny, papery quality of their skins. Sterling Clark often stated that this was his favorite of the many paintings by Renoir in his collection. 1,111.00 KB
Onions. French: Pierre-Aguste Renoir (1841-1919) 1881. Renoir painted this casual arrangement of onions and garlic piled on crumpled cloth during a visit to Naples in 1881. Clear light and fluid brushstrokes define the onions' round, solid forms and capture the shiny, papery quality of their skins. Sterling Clark often stated that this was his favorite of the many paintings by Renoir in his collection.
 Portrait of a Young Woman. French: Pierre-Aguste Renoir (1841-1919) c. 1874. Oil on canvas. A fashionably dressed woman stands before an undefined background of blue and green tones that suggests the outdoors. Her gestures and expression are as open to interpretation as the setting. Although her sideways glance seems to hint at something happening beyond the frame, Renoir may have simply intended to highlight the woman's appealingly youthful features and fresh complexion. 1,069.86 KB
Portrait of a Young Woman. French: Pierre-Aguste Renoir (1841-1919) c. 1874. Oil on canvas. A fashionably dressed woman stands before an undefined background of blue and green tones that suggests the outdoors. Her gestures and expression are as open to interpretation as the setting. Although her sideways glance seems to hint at something happening beyond the frame, Renoir may have simply intended to highlight the woman's appealingly youthful features and fresh complexion.
The Letter. French: Pierre-Aguste Renoir (1841-1919) c. 1895-1900. Oil on canvas. A woman wearing an elaborately decorated hat inclines her head to look at a letter written by her companion. The painting looks like a slice of everyday life in a middle-class home in late-nineteenth-century France, but in fact, the intimate scene is a fiction, staged by the artist using models. The subject gave Renoir an opportunity to experiment with contrasting colors, particularly white and black, as well as red and green. The straw hat was a studio prop, long out of fashion by the 1890s. 6,573.45 KB
The Letter. French: Pierre-Aguste Renoir (1841-1919) c. 1895-1900. Oil on canvas. A woman wearing an elaborately decorated hat inclines her head to look at a letter written by her companion. The painting looks like a slice of everyday life in a middle-class home in late-nineteenth-century France, but in fact, the intimate scene is a fiction, staged by the artist using models. The subject gave Renoir an opportunity to experiment with contrasting colors, particularly white and black, as well as red and green. The straw hat was a studio prop, long out of fashion by the 1890s.
 Apples in a Dish. French: Pierre-Aguste Renoir (1841-1919) c. 1883. Oil on canvas. Ripe red and green apples fill a large bowl, its brilliant blue color and white edges serving as the focus of the composition. While most of the fruit is fresh and ready to eat, the apple in the foreground shows unmistakable signs of decay, a detail uncharacteristic of the artist. This was the last painting by Renoir acquired by the Clarks, just four years before they opened their museum in Williamstown. 934.93 KB
Apples in a Dish. French: Pierre-Aguste Renoir (1841-1919) c. 1883. Oil on canvas. Ripe red and green apples fill a large bowl, its brilliant blue color and white edges serving as the focus of the composition. While most of the fruit is fresh and ready to eat, the apple in the foreground shows unmistakable signs of decay, a detail uncharacteristic of the artist. This was the last painting by Renoir acquired by the Clarks, just four years before they opened their museum in Williamstown.
 A Box at the Theater. French: Pierre-Aguste Renoir (1841-1919) c. 1880. Oil on canvas. Renoir made several paintings of spectators at theaters or concerts-- a subject that explores the theme of seeing and being seen. Although the artist may have begun the painting as a portrait of specific individuals, he later reworked it to present two women whose identities and relationship are unknown. The subdued lighting and clearly defined forms suggest that Renoir was beginning to modify his experimental painting techniques by adopting a more traditional approach, as several critics noted when the work was first exhibited in 1882. 1,117.62 KB
A Box at the Theater. French: Pierre-Aguste Renoir (1841-1919) c. 1880. Oil on canvas. Renoir made several paintings of spectators at theaters or concerts-- a subject that explores the theme of seeing and being seen. Although the artist may have begun the painting as a portrait of specific individuals, he later reworked it to present two women whose identities and relationship are unknown. The subdued lighting and clearly defined forms suggest that Renoir was beginning to modify his experimental painting techniques by adopting a more traditional approach, as several critics noted when the work was first exhibited in 1882.
Portrait of Madame Monet. French: Pierre-Aguste Renoir (1841-1919) c. 1874. Oil on canvas. During the early 1870s, Renoir and Monet often painted side by side, producing images of the same subject and sometimes using each other-- and other family members-- as models. In Renoir's informal portrait of Camille Monet, the painter's wife sits on a comfortable sofa reading a paperback book. Small touches of color cover the canvas like stitches in a tapestry. A blue line runs down the middle of Mme Monet's dress, echoing the angle of the Japanese fans on the wall. 5,895.74 KB
Portrait of Madame Monet. French: Pierre-Aguste Renoir (1841-1919) c. 1874. Oil on canvas. During the early 1870s, Renoir and Monet often painted side by side, producing images of the same subject and sometimes using each other-- and other family members-- as models. In Renoir's informal portrait of Camille Monet, the painter's wife sits on a comfortable sofa reading a paperback book. Small touches of color cover the canvas like stitches in a tapestry. A blue line runs down the middle of Mme Monet's dress, echoing the angle of the Japanese fans on the wall.
 Sketches of Heads (The Berard Children). French: Pierre-Aguste Renoir (1841-1919) c. 1881 At first glance, this painting may seem like an unfinished sketch. The children do not occupy a cohesive space, and some appear more than once. Renoir, however, considered it finished, and exhibited it in 1883. He painted several portraits of his friend and patron Paul Berard, his wife Marguerite, and their four children. This portrait's unusual format suggests that instead of asking the children to pose formally, Renoir painted them reading, sleeping, or otherwise occupied during one of his stays at the Berard country estate. 1,260.83 KB
Sketches of Heads (The Berard Children). French: Pierre-Aguste Renoir (1841-1919) c. 1881 At first glance, this painting may seem like an unfinished sketch. The children do not occupy a cohesive space, and some appear more than once. Renoir, however, considered it finished, and exhibited it in 1883. He painted several portraits of his friend and patron Paul Berard, his wife Marguerite, and their four children. This portrait's unusual format suggests that instead of asking the children to pose formally, Renoir painted them reading, sleeping, or otherwise occupied during one of his stays at the Berard country estate.
 Peonies. French: Pierre-Aguste Renoir (1841-1919) c. 1880 Renoir once told a friend painting flowers rests my brain. . . . I place my colors and experiment with values boldly, without worrying about spoiling a canvas. In this still life, vibrant reds and pinks stand out against the dark background and cast blue shadows across the white tablecloth. Using thin washes and strokes of thicker paint, the artist has captured the peoniessumptuous colors and the delicate textures of their petals and leaves. 1,367.62 KB
Peonies. French: Pierre-Aguste Renoir (1841-1919) c. 1880 Renoir once told a friend "painting flowers rests my brain. . . . I place my colors and experiment with values boldly, without worrying about spoiling a canvas." In this still life, vibrant reds and pinks stand out against the dark background and cast blue shadows across the white tablecloth. Using thin washes and strokes of thicker paint, the artist has captured the peonies' sumptuous colors and the delicate textures of their petals and leaves.
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