Impressionism · 1876
Pierre-Auguste Renoir 1841–1919
Musée d'Orsay · Paris
Dappled afternoon sun falls over dancers at a Montmartre garden — Renoir's joyous masterpiece of modern leisure.
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Chapter 1 of 7
Paris, 1876. Every Sunday, working-class Montmartre climbed the Butte to dance at the Moulin de la Galette — an open-air garden where the afternoon lasted forever. Renoir carried his canvas up the hill and painted over months, using his own friends as models.
What you see is real sunlight, real people, and a city learning to enjoy itself.
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