Dance At Bougival

Pierre-Auguste Renoir painted three large-scale paintings featuring two dancing partners in 1882 and 1883, the other two being La Danse à la compagne and La Danse à la city. This artwork depicts a dancing pair in Bougival, a hamlet near Paris known for its open-air cafés, which drew both locals and Impressionist painters.

"He loves everything that is cheerful, brilliant, and soothing in life," an interviewer once said of Renoir. Dance at Bougival, a picture depicting a couple waltzing and engaged in a passionate embrace, is one of his most beautiful expressions of love. The viewer can sense the dancing couple's excitement just by looking at it.

Renoir's blurring of the trees in the backdrop and the swirling shape made by the woman's garment around her feet on the canvas represent the spiraling motion of the dancers. However, our attention is drawn to the female dancer's face, which is framed by her hat, as she turns her head slightly away from her partner, who is fully charmed by her. The models for this couple were Renoir's best friends at the time, Paul-Auguste Lhote, and Suzanne Valadon.

This picture is reminiscent of Renoir's early Impressionist work in its vivid color pallet and representation of modern life. It is, however, more accurately painted, with more clearly defined outlines and intricate characteristics on its subjects in particular.

When it was presented in several shows, this painting, like others by Renoir, was immediately lauded by reviewers.

The Dance at Bougival painting is currently on exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, where it is regarded as one of the finest works in the museum's collection.

Year: 1883
Medium: Oil paint on canvas
Dimensions: 181.9 by 98.1 centimeters (71.6 in × 38.6 in)
Location: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston