Renoir: “One morning, one of us ran out of the black, it was the birth of Impressionism”

Renoir

In the Mind of Great Artists

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“One morning, one of us ran out of the black, it was the birth of Impressionism.”
Renoir

In this phrase, Renoir explains, with irony, one of the main characteristics of Impressionist painters: they did not use black. And they had a good reason for that.

The artists of this movement no longer painted nature, they painted how the eye perceives nature, that is to say, the impression. The theory is that “we do not see particular objects, each one with its own color, but a mixture of tones combined in our sight.” As we can see in this painting, the human eye and not the painter’s palette mixes the colors.

The artist is the eye.

Impressionist artists placed pure colors with loosely juxtaposed brushstrokes. When the viewer steps back, those brushstrokes “blend” and generate the color we perceive. What they noticed is that black does not exist as such in nature. Shadows are not black, but colored.

Understanding this discovery is very interesting: complementary colors juxtaposed in big zones heighten each other, and in small amounts they blend and become a neutral tone.

Renoir’s phrase, in addition to describing a characteristic of Impressionist painting, shows his personality and his particular view of the world. Renoir is called the “painter of joy.”

He painted simple moments of simple people. He painted moments of little importance, which were the most important for the artist.

Renoir thought that the happiest people are those who have a job, food and sun. Nothing too elaborate is needed to be happy, and he depicted that happiness with his color palette, the most colorful one among the Impressionists.

He loved simplicity. So he was against the intellectualization of his job. So he explained Impressionism in one phrase. And with a smile.

Image: Dance at the Moulin de la Galette (1876)

Recommended links:

Fundamental Paintings to Understand the History of Painting: Luncheon of the Boating Party, Renoir.

Six paintings: Renoir and Aline.

Impressionism in 5 points.

Fundamental Paintings to Understand the History of Painting: Impression, Sunrise.

Stories behind the Works of Art: Monet and the Rouen Cathedral.

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