With the help of this beautiful painting by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, let’s travel today to the late 19th century Paris, the city of lights and art.
This painting is called the “Girls at the Piano” and shows two young girls playing music in a cozy and elegant room. The painting was commissioned by the French government in 1892 for the Musée du Luxembourg, a museum dedicated to contemporary art.
Renoir was fascinated by the theme of music and its role in social life. He painted several scenes of people singing, dancing, or playing instruments, often in domestic settings. He used soft and warm colours, delicate brushstrokes, and natural light to create a sense of intimacy and charm. He also paid attention to the details of the furniture, the fabrics, and the accessories, which reflect the taste and style of the upper-middle class of his time.
What is interesting about this painting is that Renoir made four different versions of it, with slight variations in the poses, the expressions, and the backgrounds of the girls. He also made two sketches, one in oil and one in pastel. He called these works “repetitions”.
You can admire some of these “repetitions” and more than 80 other masterpieces by Renoir at the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest, where a temporary exhibition dedicated to the painter and his models. The exhibition, organised in collaboration with the Musée d’Orsay and the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris, explores Renoir’s relationship with the people who inspired his art, through paintings, graphic works, and sculptures.
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