On the terrace of a restaurant by the Seine, a group of friends linger after lunch, chatting, flirting, playing with a dog and drinking. Renoir painted fourteen real friends into this sun-drenched summer scene, one of the best-loved group portraits of Impressionism.
Key facts
- Artist
- Pierre-Auguste Renoir1841–1919 · French
- Date
- 1880–81
- Period
- Impressionism1860–1890
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 130.2 × 175.6 cm
- Location
- The Phillips Collection Washington, D.C., United States
Actual size
Compared with an adult 170 cm tall
Palette
#313435#665A53#99796E#B09990#CBB6B0Background
The setting is the Maison Fournaise, a restaurant on the island of Chatou west of Paris, a favourite haunt of rowers and artists. Renoir painted there repeatedly and spent months on this large canvas.
Most of the figures can be identified: the woman playing with the little dog on the left is Aline Charigot, Renoir's future wife; the man in a straw hat straddling a chair at lower right is the painter and patron Gustave Caillebotte; leaning on the railing are the owner's son and daughter.
In 1923 the American collector Duncan Phillips bought the painting for a then enormous sum; it is now the centrepiece of the Phillips Collection in Washington.
Technique & composition
Renoir combined figures, still life and landscape in one picture. on the table sparkle like a brilliant still life, while the river and trees behind are dashed in with light strokes.
The composition unfolds along diagonals: the railing slants from lower left to upper right, and the red-and-white striped frames the top. The figures' glances cross and connect, forming a lively social network.
Details
Symbolism
A mixing of classes
The party includes a wealthy collector, actresses, a seamstress, rowers and a journalist, people of different classes chatting easily at the same table. It reflects the openness and mobility of Parisian society in the early Third Republic.
Budding romance
, playing with the dog at lower left, became Renoir's companion soon afterwards and later his wife. He painted her with tenderness, as if recording the beginning of a love story.
Stories
- Did you know?
In the 2001 film Amélie, an elderly painter copies this picture every year, never quite managing to capture the girl drinking a glass of water.
- Did you know?
The Maison Fournaise is still open today, with a small museum; visitors can dine on the very terrace in the painting.
Legacy
The painting is the high point of Renoir's Impressionist period and foreshadows his later return to firmer contours. Its celebration of joy, friendship and everyday life still delights countless viewers.
