Renoir Exhibit at the Grand Palais

Matisse raved about Renoir's nudes - calling one of his later works - maybe the best nudes ever painted. Seeing is believing - or not believing. Whether you agree or disagree with Matisse's praise, here's an opportunity to see a large sampling of Renoir's later works under one glass roof - at the Grand Palais.

What really surprised me about this exhibit was Chris's reaction. Normally he's the first person to praise Renoir - and he admitted being somewhat disappointed. The paintings that he loves best are those that were painted BEFORE Renoir broke away from the Impressionist movement so if one was hoping to see the famous guinguette scenes (that can be seen at Musee d'Orsay), then you'd be in for a disappointment.

Renoir's attitude toward his painting was quite modest- he saw his work as being a more decorative statement rather than an 'oeuvre'. For example, you could have probably requested Renoir to paint a few living room panels for your Paris apartment (maybe even in a particular theme or color) without insulting the artist. Some of these panels are actually included in the exhibit.

Another surprise for those of us who've only seen his paintings was the exhibit devoted to his sculpture and charcoal drawings. It was also later in life when he moved toward sculpture, but because of his arthritis, he was obliged to collaborate with other artists to be his 'hands'. The result is admirable - and even the busts of his children (which are described in the exhibit as naif) are sweet and frank.

All four of us agreed that his nudes tend toward the same body shape - and one might be tempted to wonder if not always the same body. If you don't like your female forms in the XXX large category - you may not find Renoir's nudes to be so appealing. What is more distressing than that is to note that these 19h century models seemed to have adult bodies and children's heads!

Nevertheless, Renoir's rosy view of the world deserves the attention it has received. There's no better way to appreciate his rich palette than by juxtaposing his paintings alongside a Picasso nude for example (which is also part of the exhibit).

We went to the show on a Monday night because the Grand Palais is open until 10 pm, and because we had purchased the tickets in advance at FNAC bookstore, we were able to go in directly though the 'line-cutter's entrance on the Champs Elysees. The one thing to remember if you buy an advanced ticket at FNAC, you reserve an entrance at a specific time. There's a half hour grace period for arriving late - after that you're out of luck.

We almost missed the half hour grace period. BTW, the Grand Palais, like the Louvre is closed on Tuesdays.