What are two contrasting complementary colors

1. Self-Portrait
ca. 1875, oil on canvas, 15-3/8” x 12-1/2”, Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown,
MA
Pierre Auguste Renoir was one of the original group of artists known as the Impressionists. He
took great pleasure in painting beautiful, natural portraits of the people he knew and he also
enjoyed capturing pleasant , vibrant scenes of people engaged in their general, everyday lives
that included their expressions of contentment and happiness.
Renoir painted this self-portrait when he was about 34 or 35 years old. He is said to have called
this painting just a “paltry sketch,” but he evidently did decide it was good enough to be displayed
at the Impressionists’ exhibition of 1877.
Renoir’s eyes immediately catch our attention with his direct, keen, and confident gaze, and he
filled the canvas with lively, vibrant brushstrokes and contrasting complementary colors that
repeat throughout the painting. Renoir managed to present himself as a pleasant young
gentleman and confident artist.
What are two contrasting complementary colors that Renoir used in this painting? Dark and lighter
blue tones contrast with warm flesh tones and the orange and brown tones of Renoir’s auburn
mustache, goatee [his small beard], and tousled hair.
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2. Sailboats at Argenteuil or The Seine at Argenteuil
(“Sailboats at Ar jhan too yuh” or the “Sayne at Ar jhan too yuh”)
1873, oil on canvas, 20” x 26”, Portland Art Museum, Oregon
This painting is part of the permanent collection of the Portland Art Museum. It represents the very
definition of Impressionism that Renoir, Monet, and others helped to create during the 1870s:
a scene showing modern life, painted entirely out of doors, that captured the immediate effects of
light and color.
Located northwest of Paris, Argenteuil was a popular gathering spot for the sailing enthusiasts.
Renoir, along with his artist friend, Claude Monet, set up his easel outdoors to paint this scene
that shows people enjoying a leisurely afternoon along the Seine River near Monet’s home. Quick
dabs of horizontally applied color successfully captured the movements of sailboats as well as the
sparkling reflections of sunlight on the water.
Contrasts of hues define the shapes of the sailboats. To capture the movement of the water,
Renoir used simultaneous contrasts (side-by-side placement of complementary colors), such as
orange and blue, that when placed side by side, create a visual vibration which makes the
sailboats’ reflections seem to shimmer on the water. The repetition of the triangular shapes of the
sails throughout the painting also creates a rhythm that moves the eye around the scene.
What repeating shapes create rhythm here? The repetition of the triangular shapes of the sails
throughout the painting also creates a rhythm that moves the eye around the scene.
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3. Girl with Watering Can
1876, oil on canvas, 40” x 29-3/8”, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
Renoir especially loved to paint children. He had a finely developed feeling for depicting the rosy
complexion of a child’s skin, the purity and gentleness in their gaze, and their innocent selfconfidence. In several of his works, including this one, he painted his young subjects at their own
eye level so that the viewer could see the world from the child’s point of view.
This figure of this young girl, her features, her clothing, and her hair were all created with dabs of
color. The shape of her dress was created not with smooth modeling but by the contrast of the
dark blue cloth against the dabs of lighter values that Renoir painted behind her and beneath her
feet. The lace on her dress was also suggested with dabs of lighter colors in contrast with the dark
blue dress. The flowers in her hand, the roses in the foreground, and the flowers in the
background were all created with feathery brush strokes.
Renoir used complementary colors in this painting that create a visual vibration which makes the
scene come alive. Orange and blue highlights create the texture of the path at the young girl’s feet
while red and green dabs suggest the flowers in the background. The same red repeats in the
young girl’s hair ribbon which contrasts with the dark green background and the repetition of red
near the top of the painting as well as in the lower left creates a rhythm that helps to move the eye
around the painting.
What type of brushstrokes did Renoir use to paint the shapes? Renoir used dabs of color and
feathery brush strokes to paint the shapes in this painting.
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4. The Swing
1876, oil on canvas, 36-3/4” x 29-1/4”, Musée d’Orsay, Paris
This painting was simultaneously created during the summer of 1876 when Renoir also painted
his famous work entitled, Bal du Moulin de la Galette. Both paintings portrayed Renoir’s friends
and each focused on Renoir’s fascination with depicting the effects of dappled sunlight on form.
In The Swing, the sunlight is filterd through the trees to create a mottled pattern of highlights and
shadows throughout the entire scene. At the time, many contemporary critics found this dappled
light and shadow effect to be a disturbing feature, and one of them even commented that, “…the
sunlight effects are combined in such a bizarre fashion that they look like spots of grease on the
model’s clothes.”
Renoir used dabs of contrasting and complementary colors to create the shapes in this painting.
Although there is some smooth modeling of the shape of the man in the foreground, Renoir also
added dabs of lighter values that create the effects of filtered sunlight across his shoulders and
back. The woman on the swing was painted with loose, feathery strokes of blue, violet, yellow,
and pink that create the effect of dappled sunlight and shadow on her dress. Renoir also used
complementary dabs of orange as well as dabs of white to create the effects of light and shadow
on the blue path directly behind the woman and he added complementary violet shadows on the
yellow straw hat of the man who stands in the foreground.
The contrast between the dark shade of the background and the woman’s sunlit dress gives her
figure special emphasis. Repeated dabs of brighter sunlit values that surround the four nearest
figures also add contrast with the darker values of the background and they create a sparkling
rhythm that moves our eye around the painting.
How did Renoir paint the sunlight filtering in through the trees? A mottled or dappled pattern of
highlights and shadows creates the effect of the sunlight filtering into the scene through the trees.
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5. Bal du Moulin de la Galette
1876, oil on canvas, 51-1/2” x 68-7/8”, Musée d‘Orsay, Paris
This was the largest and most ambitious canvas that Renoir attempted during the summer of 1876, at a time
when he was still closely involved in the Impressionist movement. The Impressionists insisted on painting out
of doors which typically restricted them to smaller canvases and simpler compositions. For Renoir to attempt
this complicated composition on such a large canvas was truly remarkable. This painting captured a brief
moment, like a snapshot, while drawing the viewer into the scene as a participant in the celebration.
The Moulin de la Galette was a Parisian open air dance hall, a popular meeting place for artists and students.
We see their youthful vitality as groups of young men and women relax and pass the time on a sunny
afternoon. The whole scene is dappled with sunlight and shade to produce the effects of fleeting, changing
light that so fascinated the Impressionists. Renoir’s rendering of dappled sunlight in this painting is quite
similar to that of his painting, “The Swing,” and this is because Renoir actually worked on both of the
paintings simultaneously. He would paint The Swing” during the morning hours and then switch to paint “Bal
du Moulin de la Galette” during the afternoons.
The bright dabs of color on the shoulders of the man seated on the yellow chair in the foreground create the
effect of dappled sunlight shining through the leaves of the trees above. Sunlight also falls on the dancing
couple to the left and the dabs of bright color on their shoulders contrast with areas of shadow on their
clothing. Complementary colors create the effects of shading: there are streaks of violet shadows on the
yellow straw hats of many gentlemen while orange and blue form highlights and shadows on the dress of the
nearest dancing woman.
Renoir used repeated shapes throughout this painting to create a rhythm that moves our eye around the
scene: the shapes of the light fixtures repeat across the top of the painting while the bright, happy faces of the
crowd are depicted throughout the scene, from the pleasantly smiling heads of the people in the foreground
to the less distinct bright dabs of color that represent the faces of the crowd in the background.
Where did Renoir use complementary colors next to each other and why did he use them? Complementary
colors were also used to create the effects of shading: for instance, there are streaks of violet shadows on the
yellow straw hats of many gentlemen and orange and blue form highlights and shadows on the dress of the
nearest dancing woman.
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6. Madame Charpentier and her Children
(Madame Char pen tee ā)
1878, oil on canvas, 61-5/8” x 76”, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Marguerite Charpentier was the wife of prominent Parisian publisher, Georges Charpentier. Together, they often
entertained prominent literary and political figures of the day. Renoir was introduced to them in 1875 and their
friendship proved to be a positive turning point in his career. In 1876, he was commissioned to paint Marguerite,
who happened to be one of Paris’ most celebrated and influential hostesses. The successful portrait led to a
commission to paint Madame Charpentier at home with her children, daughter, Georgette, and young son, Paul.
[Note that at this time very young French boys typically retained their long hair and they were outfitted in dresses
similar to those worn by their sisters. The smallest child in this painting is indeed young Paul.]
Madame Charpentier was pleased with the family portrait and exercised her powerful influence to insure that it
was favorably displayed at the Salon of 1879. Due to her prominence, the painting was also enthusiastically
received by the Salon’s critics which reflected positively on Renoir’s reputation and career. The painting was
purchased by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, in 1907.
This painting abounds with contrasts. The black dress of Madame Charpentier, with its touches of white at the
bodice and hem, contrasts with the lighter values that surround her figure. The blue costumes worn by Georgette
and her younger brother, Paul, also contrast with the orange of the furniture behind them. The smoothly modeled
faces of all three figures contrast with the feathery brush strokes that create their hair, clothing, and the other
shapes throughout the room. In addition, the solid colors of their clothing contrast with the many patterns in the
upholstery, carpet, and Japanese wall decorations behind them.
The repetition of bright white throughout the scene also creates a rhythm to move our eyes from left to right—from
the white areas on the coat of the family dog, Porthos, to the white lacy trim on the children’s clothing, to the lace
on Marguerite’s bodice and hem, and finally to the flowers and pottery arrangement on the table in the background
at the right edge of the canvas.
Identify two types of contrast that Renoir used in this painting. Renoir used both textural and color/pattern
contrasts: the smoothly modeled faces of the three figures contrast with the feathery brush strokes that create their
hair, costumes, and other shapes in the room; the solid colors of their clothing also contrast with the patterns in the
upholstery, carpet, and Japanese wall decorations behind them.
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7. Oarsmen At Chatou (sha too),
1879, oil on canvas, 32-3/8” x 40”, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
Just a few miles down river from Argenteuil is the town of Chatou (sha too), a favorite gathering
spot for the rowing enthusiasts. Here, we see several of Renoir’s friends who have come to
Chatou for a leisurely afternoon of rowing on the Seine River. While the woman likely joined the
group as an observer, all the men appear ready for rowing because they are wearing the
traditional rowing attire of the day: white shirts, ties, neat jackets, and straw hats.
Bright colors form the shapes within this cheerful scene and simultaneous contrasts (side-by-side
placement of complementary colors) create visual vibrations that gives the effect of sunlit, rippling
water. Strokes of orange contrast with the blue water as they create the shapes of the rowing
boats, called skiffs, and these are repeated through the middle ground and into the background
near the opposite bank of the river.
Renoir created rhythmic patterns in this painting, not only through the repetition of color, but also
with the repetition of his brush strokes. In the foreground, he formed the grassy riverbank with a
series of diagonal, feathery brush strokes that he repeated to create the opposite shoreline in the
background. He also used a series of contrasting, short, horizontal strokes in blue, white, green,
and orange that create the sparkling reflections across the Seine River in the middle ground and
foreground.
Why would this painting be described as Impressionistic? Here, Renoir painted yet another a
delightful scene of modern life that was created in the out of doors, using a variety of feathery and
short brush strokes in a composition that captured the effects of light and color.
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8. Luncheon of the Boating Party
1880, oil on canvas, 51-3/4” x 69”, Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.
In this famous masterpiece of Impressionism, Renoir captured the effects of light and color amid a
group of his boating friends as they enjoyed a leisurely afternoon along the Seine River.
Improvements to the railway system had quickly changed what had formerly been rural areas
around Paris, turning quiet towns and villages into popular, leisure suburban sites that were easily
accessible to all. The site of this party was the terrace balcony of the Maison Fournaise (may zhon
for nāze), a popular restaurant in the town of Chatou (sha too), just west of Paris.
Although Renoir undoubtedly painted some of this canvas on-site at the Maison Fournaise, it was
not a work painted entirely out-of-doors. There is evidence that Renoir also worked and reworked
portions of the composition which was a task more likely done back in his studio. Whether indoors
our outside, however, Renoir’s genius was his ability to create a painting that captured and retained
the freshness and spontaneity of a given moment.
The repetition of faces throughout the composition leads our view around the scene as the direction
of each person’s gaze leads our eye to another face, and that person’s gaze to another, and so on.
This serves to extend the boundaries of the composition by suggesting there is more to the scene
than what is visible on the canvas. The faces in the foreground seem smooth and modeled, while
the individuals in the background are painted with less distinct, broken and feathery brush strokes.
The contrasting textures of smooth and broken brush strokes create patterns of interest throughout
the painting. Complementary colors also create a variety of contrasts: there are blue shadows in the
orange-striped awning above and orange trims the blue dress that is worn by Renoir’s young
dressmaker girlfriend [and future wife], Aline Charigot, who plays with her small dog in the lower left
foreground. Violet shadows also create texture on the yellow jacket that is worn by the man who
leans over the table at the right center of the painting. Two of the boaters, warmed by their afternoon
of rowing, have doffed their shirts and jackets although they still wear their boater straw hats.
What repeated organic shape leads our eye around the scene? The repetition of faces throughout
the composition leads our view around the scene.
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9. The Umbrellas
1881 to 1885, oil on canvas, 72” x 46-1/8”, National Gallery, London
This painting shows evidence of the change in painting style that occurred in Renoir’s art during
the early 1880s. While he began this painting in 1881, he did not finish it until several years later,
and in the interim, his painting style changed. The right side of the painting was created in 1881,
with loose brushwork and the bright, clear colors of Impressionism. The left side, however, was
painted several years later, during Renoir’s mid-1880s “dry style,” when he focused on the clearer
definition of line and form as well as the use of more subtle colors applied with smoothly painted
brush strokes.
While the faces and hands of the figures on the right side are smooth and modeled, the woman’s
and young girls’ hair, hats, and clothing were all created with broken, feathery brush strokes and
the bright colors that were characteristic of Impressionism. The left side of the painting, however,
shows Renoir’s abrupt change of style: the woman who carries the basket was painted with flat
flesh tones, smooth brush strokes, and sharply defined contours that give her dress and form an
almost sculptural quality.
The bright faces of all the individuals in this painting contrast with the darker hues of their clothing
and with the overall darkness of the rainy day. The contrast of brush stroke treatment between the
right and left sides of the painting, however, creates its own set of contrasting textures—one can
almost feel the difference between the bright fabrics and laces used for the woman’s and young
girls’ clothing on the right compared with the somber, heavy silk dress worn by the woman on left
side of the painting. Despite the difference in painting style, Renoir still created a rhythmic pattern
of repeated similar blue tones throughout the scene, in the clothing of the individuals and in the
color of most of the umbrellas.
What differences in painting style can you find between the right and left sides of this painting?
Why are they different? The right side of the painting was created in 1881, with loose brushwork
and the bright, clear colors that were characteristic of Impressionism. The left side was painted
several years later, during Renoir’s mid-1800s “dry style,” when he focused on the clearer
definition of line and form as well as more subtle colors that he applied with smoothly painted
brush strokes.
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10. Young Girls at the Piano
1892, oil on canvas, 46-3/8” x 32-3/8”, Musée d’Orsay, Paris, France
By 1890, Renoir had begun painting popular themes in a series of charming paintings that were intended to appeal
to the public market. These series paintings depicted conventionally acceptable themes of domestic harmony and
often included two young women absorbed in some pleasant pastime, such as reading or playing the piano.
Because these paintings were conceived in series, Renoir was able to readily reproduce an essentially identical
scene while still being able to experiment with slightly different gestures, mood, colors, or small details. For instance,
three versions of this painting depict a bouquet of flowers contained in a round porcelain vase that sits on the piano;
in two other versions, including this painting, Renoir instead depicted the flowers in a tall, cylindrical vase seen in the
upper right corner.
In 1892, one of Renoir’s friends convinced Henry Roujon, the French government’s Minister of Fine Arts, to purchase
one of Renoir’s Young Girls at the Piano paintings for the Musée du Luxembourg collection in Paris [at the time, this
museum collected art of respected living artists]. A purchase price of 4,000 francs was finalized but because the
Luxembourg’s collections were being refurbished at the time, Renoir was granted special permission to first display
the painting in a very successful exhibition of his work held during May at the Durand-Ruel Gallery. This was the only
time that the French State directly purchased one of Renoir’s paintings from him and the selection of his work for the
Luxembourg collection was both a distinguishing achievement and a significant historical event—the publicity
generated by the exhibition was also wonderful! The painting was displayed at the Luxembourg museum until 1947
when it moved to the Musée du Impressionism. In 1986, the painting was added to the Impressionist collection of the
brand new Musée d’Orsay.
Here, Renoir’s painting style includes smoother, more modeled forms and his colors, although bright, seem diffused.
His lyrical brush strokes create elegant, curved and vertical lines that begin in the upper left corner drapery and then
flow gracefully down though the lovely shapes of the girls as well as the piano. Complementary colors add both
contrast and visual interest: the green silken drapery is trimmed in red stripes and one girl wears a red dress; the girl
playing the piano wears a blue sash that contrasts with the tones of orange in the hallway and on the chair cushion;
touches of blue shade her dress as they contrast with the orange tones of the piano’s wood surface and blue is also
used to create shadows in her strawberry blonde hair.
How are these brushstrokes different from the way Renoir applied color in his earlier paintings that you have seen?
His lyrical brush strokes create gracefully curved and vertical lines that begin in the upper left corner drapery and
then flow gracefully down though the lovely shapes of the girls as well as the piano.
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11. Yvonne and Christine Lerolle at the Piano
1897, oil on canvas, 28 3/4” x 36 1/4”, Musée de l’Orangerie, Paris, France
Yvonne and Christine Lerolle were the daughters of Henry Lerolle, a painter, amateur musician, avid
art collector, and a patron and friend of both Degas and Renoir. The Lerolle sisters were also good
friends with the artist, Berthe Morisot’s daughter, Julie Manet; all three of these young women
remained close because each eventually married into the Rouart family. During the 1880s and 90s,
Renoir painted several portraits of both Yvonne and Christine.
Renoir created this double portrait in the fall of 1897; it was another charming adaptation of one of
his favorite and profitable domestic harmony themes, that of two girls playing the piano. Yvonne
appears to be singing softly as she plays the family’s grand piano while younger sister, Christine,
looks on and joins her in song. Because Henry Lerolle had known Edgar Degas for years and was
an avid collector of his works, Renoir included two of the Lerolle’s displayed Degas’ paintings in this
scene: there is an 1882 work entitled, Before the Race, that is easily identified in the upper left
corner while a small portion of another Degas work of ballet dancers can be glimpsed in the upper
right corner.
Complementary colors add both contrast and visual interest. Renoir also created a rhythmic pattern
of repeated tones that move the eye throughout the scene, such as the white tones that repeat in
Yvonne’s dress, the keyboard, and the frame of the ballet painting; the red tones are used for
Christine’s dress, as accents in the Degas paintings, as accents in Yvonne’s dark auburn hair, and
in the silk cloth that lies across the edge of the grand piano.
How is this painting similar to the previous image of Young Girls at the Piano?
1. It is one of a series of paintings that Renoir created during the 1890s based on the theme of two
girls engaged in a pleasant and harmonious domestic pastime —here, it is playing the piano.
2. The placement of the two figures is very similar to that of the previous painting we saw entitled,
Young Girls at the Piano.
3. The colors are again bright and pleasant, with similar tones that are painted with somewhat
diffused brush strokes; the modeling of the forms is also smooth and graceful.
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12. Woman with a Guitar
1918, oil on canvas, 24 3/16” x 19 3/4” , Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA
After 1912, Renoir’s rheumatoid arthritis had become so crippling that he was confined to a
wheelchair. He could no longer hold a paint brush in his crippled hand and, instead, had to paint
with the brush strapped to his hand and wrist. Despite these challenges and constant pain, he
maintained a pleasant manner and continued to paint almost daily.
In this painting, we see that, although inconvenient, Renoirs physical limitations were no deterrent
to his determination to create beauty. Compared to Renoir’s earlier paintings, the woman’s figure
in this painting might seem less distinct, more compact, and fleshier, but the colors and shading
that Renoir continued to use during his final year were still vibrant and pleasing. The modeling of
the woman’s form is still fairly smooth, although the details of the flower, her hair, her clothing, the
guitar, and the background have all been painted in a more diffused manner, with broad brush
strokes that were applied with the paintbrush strapped to Renoir’s crippled hand and wrist. The
colors of the woman’s skin, hair, dress, and guitar are all repeated in the background, and strokes
of complementary colors create both shadow and simultaneous contrast (contrast of
complementary colors placed next to each other).
Renoir was famous, wealthy, and recognized throughout the world as an artist of great stature at
the end of his life, He remained determined to paint everyday and seemed to find the same joy,
satisfaction, and excitement that he had possessed when painting as a young man. Throughout
his artistic career, all of his paintings managed to focus on and to capture the most pleasant,
happy, and carefree moments of life.
What repeating colors move your eye around the scene? Touches of white highlights as well as
repeated broad strokes of yellow, blue, red, pink, and orange all help to both balance this
composition and to move the eye around this colorful scene.
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