Pierre-Auguste Renoir's 'The Umbrellas'

This is a description of an oil painting by Pierre-Auguste Renoir called The Umbrellas. It was first painted in about 1881 and probably finished in 1886. It is a tall painting: just under 2 metres high and a metre wide. It is in a gilded frame with a relief pattern and features a bustling crowd on a busy Parisian boulevard. Some of the people on the street have dark umbrella’s open, others do not. One woman is closing hers, which suggests the rain might have just stopped. The size of the painting draws us into this busy scene. Towards the top of the painting, the skyline is dominated by the graceful curves of umbrellas, ranging in various shades of blue. Above this, there are glimpses of treetops and the upper story of an apartment block. The trees are painted in bright greens and hazy orange indicating that this might be a spring shower. These lively colours bring a dash of brightness and lightness to the painting. The rest of the painting is filled by the crowd who are tightly packed in causing one man - on the right - to raise his umbrella high above the crowd to push his way through. The people are depicted in a lively manner, but the tonal palette is quite subdued in predominantly blue, black and brown. Our attention is drawn to a family group on the right and a young woman on the left who gazes directly out at us. The family are a fashionably dressed young mother and her two daughters. Placed

centrally, standing behind her young children the young mother is leaning slightly forward and holding an open umbrella in one gloved hand over her head. She wears a long, inky blue dress with a bustle, a dark blue, fur cape and small, flowery bonnet. She has soft light blonde curls and is gazing down at her youngsters with a slight smile. Standing side on to us, on the far right is the elder of the two girls who is about ten. She is at the edge of the painting and is not fully depicted. She wears a blue-grey coat and a cream lace hat over her auburn ponytail. She stands close behind her little sister, who faces us with a pale face and dark eyes. This girl is about 6 and wears a short, lace trimmed coat and a ribboned bonnet. She clutches her plaything: wooden hoop and stick - whilst gazing solemnly out at us. Both mother and elder sister have a hand clamped on her shoulders – possibly trying to restrain her or guide her under the umbrella. A small space in the crowd has opened up between this well clad family and the more simply dressed young woman on the far left. Placed close together in the composition, but worlds apart – Renoir shows these two young women as a mirror contrast to one another other. This woman has chestnut brown hair pinned up at the back. She is wearing a plain long dark grey/blue skirt and matching jacket, that is nipped in at the waist, over a black top. She has no hat or umbrella and stares directly out at us, with dark brown eyes. Some have interpreted her expression as soulful or tragic. The woman has a large band box

used for carrying hats over her left arm and this with her simple clothing might indicate that she is a milliners assistant making a delivery. With her other hand she holds the folds of her skirt up away from the damp. Behind this young woman is a bearded man dressed in a brown coat. He is holding an umbrella, which partially conceals his black hat, and it seems like he's looking down at the woman. Beyond these central figures, the painting portrays a bustling crowd, depicted with less detail. Only parts of their heads, arms, and legs are shown, but everyone is still formally dressed in coats and hats, contributing to the lively atmosphere of the scene. Renoir was a founding member of Impressionism, a style characterised by painting rapidly on the spot to capture a moment either out in nature or the ebb and flow of city life. The artist seems to have painted this picture initially in 1881 in a loose, and feathery style. However, he was becoming dissatisfied with this rapid approach. Scientific research shows that he repainted the left-hand side of this painting in a crisper more severe style using tighter brushstrokes.