Out came a thought and then another...

Coincidences are...

Here is a snippet from the Telegraph article on a Renoir exhibition at the National Gallery:

This working method changed during the summer of 1869 when, together with Monet, he painted a series of plein-air studies of the bathing pond known as La Grenouillère working directly from nature, and painting quickly to capture an impression of the scene before the lighting and weather changed. In this show we see Monet's view of La Grenouillère taken from the National Gallery's collection next to Renoir's from the Nationalmuseum, Stockholm.

With their shimmering patches of pure colour, choppy brushwork and light-dappled surface, each is a freely painted sketch, a full-scale study that captures the restless movement and constantly shifting light of actual visual experience.

But the differences are telling, too. Monet articulates tonal contrasts in his boats and figures, and also allows our eye to follow the meandering stretch of water that leads into the far distance.

Renoir, by contrast, is more interested in capturing the all-over effect of the scene. No one form is more clearly articulated than any other. He blocks recession into space with a screen of delicately painted trees, minimising depth in order to weave a flat tapestry of light blue, green, white and grey brushstrokes close to the picture's surface.

Posted by Echo/Lavanya on Tuesday, February 20, 2007 at 5:50 PM | Permalink