“Near the Lake”
This lovely oil on canvas painting is by the French Impressionism painter, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and is titled “Near the Lake”. It was painted between 1879 and 1880. The painting depicts a canotier, or maybe just a man dressed like a canotier, talking with a young girl. A canotier is someone who practices the sport of rowing. These gentlemen were common subjects for many of Renoir’s paintings during this period. It is believed that the lake in the painting may be the Lower Lake of the Parisian Park, Bois de Boulogne.
This is one of the many pieces by Renoir that features people participating in leisurely activities outside. This follows an earlier tradition, particularly French Rococo art from the 18th century, in which landscapes used people to provide a context to the scene. The use of a presence of a child in Renoir’s painting is similar to the pastoral scenes of Jean-Antoine Watteau, where children were used to lend innocence and happiness to a setting.
During Renoir’s lifetime, private lands and gardens in Paris and the French countryside were starting to be acquired by the public for public use. These formerly private parks were being turned into public lands allowing access to everyone. As more people were out and about utilizing these new resources, the Impressionists of the day were capturing these moments.
“Near the Lake” is currently in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois.
For more on Pierre-Auguste Renoir, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
