How to Read Paintings: Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette by Renoir
The dappled light at an afternoon party
I have vivid memories of first seeing this painting. The experience was something of a revelation to me, for whilst I had seen many Impressionist paintings in reproduction, viewing this work in its full technicolour splendour seemed to give me an insight into what Impressionism truly was.
Several aspects of this artwork are worth noting from the beginning. Notice how Renoir has entirely filled the canvas with activity, giving the sense that if the image could pivot left or right— then we would see yet more people dancing, drinking and socialising. In other words, the painting deliberately takes the setting as its subject, a setting that is not defined by the edges of the picture but exists all around in every direction.
Notice too how the vantage point of the artist is from head height, as if we have just walked into the venue, emphasised by the fact that the people closest to us are deliberately placed to sit below our natural gaze. As the viewer, this position places us psychologically within the action, as if we are looking from a very intimate viewpoint and may, at any moment catch the eye of someone nearby.
The scene depicted is a social dance at the Moulin de la Galette in the Montmartre…
