ART APPRECIATION LESSON 3: European Artist and History
You will see how an artist uses primary colors throughout the painting and create a study of this work in this lesson.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Luncheon of the Boating Party , 1880-1881
In Luncheon of the Boating Party, Renoir uses a primary color scheme of yellow, red, and blue. By repeating the primary colors in various locations within the painting, Renoir leads the viewer’s eyes from one figure to another so that the whole scene is noticed. Identify the location of the yellow hats in this painting. Do you see how the color yellow appears from one side to the other side of the painting? Locate the color red in the awning, the flowers, and the trim on people’s clothing. Where does the color red lead the eye? Where does the color blue appear? Renoir’s brushstrokes vary throughout the painting. The objects on the table are painted in thickly applied bright colors while in the background are the feathery light strokes seen in all of Renoir’s later works. Renoir labored for months on this painting, adjusting the figures and making changes directly on the canvas. Each person in his carefully composed scene is a friend or acquaintance of the artist.
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