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Under a striped awning on the balcony of a riverside restaurant, Renoir's friends eat, drink, flirt and talk after a day of boating on the Seine. Painted in 1880–1881, Luncheon of the Boating Party is one of the most joyful paintings of Impressionism.
In this article
The Maison Fournaise
On the island of Chatou, on the Seine west of Paris, stood the Maison Fournaise, a restaurant and boat rental much loved by Parisians who came to row and swim on Sundays. Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a regular. In the summer of 1880 he began a large painting of his friends having lunch on the restaurant's balcony, and he finished it in the studio in 1881.
The painting shows fourteen people around a table and the balcony rail, under a red and white striped awning, with the river and trees behind them.
Aline and her dog
In the lower left, a young woman in a flowered hat plays with a small dog on the table. She is Aline Charigot, a seamstress who later became Renoir's wife and the mother of his children. Her fresh, smiling face and her affection for the little dog bring a note of tenderness to the scene.
Detail 1
Aline and the little dog
Aline Charigot, Renoir's future wife, plays with a small dog on the table, her face full of warmth.
Alphonsine at the rail
Leaning on the balcony rail behind Aline is Alphonsine Fournaise, the daughter of the owner, who often posed for the painters of the area. Standing beside her in a straw hat and a sleeveless shirt is her brother Alphonse.
Detail 2Alphonsine on the balcony
The owner's daughter leans on the rail, listening to the conversation, the river glittering behind her.
Caillebotte
In the lower right, a young man in a straw boater and a white sleeveless shirt sits astride a chair. He is the painter Gustave Caillebotte, Renoir's friend and a wealthy patron of the Impressionists, who was a keen sailor.
Detail 3Gustave Caillebotte
The painter Caillebotte sits backwards on a chair, wearing a boater and a boatman's shirt, turning towards the young women.
The still life
On the table lie the remains of the lunch: bottles of wine, glasses half full, grapes, pears and a crumpled napkin. Renoir painted them with sparkling touches of light, a brilliant still life that rivals the figures.
Detail 4The table after lunch
Wine bottles, glasses and fruit glitter on the white tablecloth, painted with quick touches of light and colour.
The awning
At the top, the red and white striped awning frames the scene and casts a soft, coloured shade on the figures. Through the gaps in the foliage, the light of the summer afternoon shines on the river.
Detail 5The striped awning
The red and white awning shades the balcony and frames the scene, its stripes painted with loose strokes.
Renoir's celebration of life
Renoir wanted his paintings to give pleasure. He said that a painting should be something lovable, joyful and pretty, because there were enough unpleasant things in life. Luncheon of the Boating Party is the most complete expression of this attitude: a summer afternoon of friendship, flirtation, food and wine, painted in warm, luminous colours. It also marks a turning point in his career. In the following years, after a trip to Italy where he discovered Raphael, Renoir moved towards a firmer, more linear style. Duncan Phillips, who bought the painting in 1923, considered it one of the greatest paintings in the world, and it has been the centrepiece of his collection ever since.
Seeing the painting
The painting measures about 1.3 by 1.75 metres. It was bought in 1923 by the American collector Duncan Phillips and is the most famous work in The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C.
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Where is the restaurant in Luncheon of the Boating Party?
It is the Maison Fournaise on the island of Chatou, on the Seine west of Paris. The restaurant still exists today.
Who is the woman with the dog?
She is Aline Charigot, a seamstress who later married Renoir.
Is Gustave Caillebotte in the painting?
Yes. He is the man in the straw boater sitting backwards on a chair in the lower right.
Where is Luncheon of the Boating Party?
It is in The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C.
Sources and further reading
- The Phillips Collection, collection notes on Luncheon of the Boating Party
- Eliza E. Rathbone et al., Impressionists on the Water (2013)
- Colin B. Bailey, Renoir's Portraits (1997)
