The Umbrellas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1881)
This painting immerses us in a bustling Parisian street, focusing on six primary figures in the foreground. A throng of people in the background nearly obscures the boulevard. The upper quarter of the canvas is dominated by a canopy of at least a dozen umbrellas.
Created in two phases with about a four-year interval, the painting reflects Renoir's artistic evolution during the 1880s as he transitioned from Impressionism to classical art. The group on the right, featuring a mother with her two daughters and a woman in profile at the center, is rendered in a typical Impressionist style with delicate, feathery strokes and rich, luminous tones. In contrast, the left side of the composition, completed in the later phase, showcases a more linear approach. Here, the figures, including a full-length young woman and a man standing behind her, have clearly defined outlines, precisely drawn features, and a stronger sense of three-dimensional form.
