PAST EXHIBITION

L’ALBA DI UN NUOVO CLASSICISMO

In Search of a Lesser-Known Renoir

Beyond the great Impressionist: an exhibition showcasing how Renoir was so much more.

Though Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841–1919) is famous mainly for being one of the leading exponents of Impressionism, this phase in his career was actually rather brief. A trip to Italy sparked a creative revolution that led him to look to the past to paint in a powerful Neo-Renaissance style, developing a “modern Classicism” that heralded the “return to order” that would characterise art between the two world wars. The exhibition centres on this second phase in his career, placing his works face to face with others by Italian artists such as Marino Marini, Carlo Carrà, Giorgio de Chirico, Filippo de Pisis and many more.

In Search of a Lesser-Known Renoir

A Great Classic, Beyond Impressionism

Renoir’s (1841–1919) trip to Italy in 1881 and 1882 proved to be a turning point in his career. After Carpaccio and Tiepolo’s Venice, an all-important destination was Rome, where Renoir was overwhelmed by the intensity of the Mediterranean light and developed a passion for the Renaissance masters (Raphael above all). Before ending in Palermo, his tour led him to the Gulf of Naples: here, Renoir discovered the wall paintings at Pompeii and was mesmerised by the masterpieces of ancient art on display at the archaeological museum. These experiences heralded a creative revolution culminating in the artist’s abandonment of the Impressionist technique and poetics. Impervious to the prevailing trends, Renoir looked to the past to develop a Neo-Renaissance style of painting that many saw, superficially, as a decline after the Impressionist grandeur. Instead, as revealed by the title of this exhibition, it was the dawn of a new Classicism.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir,
Le Moulin de la Galette (studio), 1875-1876

Pierre-Auguste Renoir,
Maisons de village, toits rouges (Essoyes), 1905

Pierre-Auguste Renoir,
Paysage de Cagnes,
1905-1908

Pierre-Auguste Renoir,
Femme s’essuyant,
1912-1914

Pierre-Auguste Renoir,
Roses dans un vase, 1900

Pierre-Auguste Renoir,
La Baigneuse blonde, 1882

Pierre-Auguste Renoir,
Vases boules, 1905

Pierre-Auguste Renoir,
Nu au fauteuil, 1900

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Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Le Moulin de la Galette (studio), 1875-1876
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Paysage de Cagnes, 1905-1908
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Femme s’essuyant, 1912-1914
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Roses dans un vase, 1900
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
La Baigneuse blonde, 1882
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Vases boules, 1905
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Nu au fauteuil, 1900

Renoir. L’alba di un nuovo classicismo

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Paysage de Cagnes, 1905-1908

Due impressioni sbagliate. È per questo che è nata la mostra Renoir. L’alba di un nuovo classicismo: per correggere due impressioni sbagliate. La prima è che Pierre-Auguste Renoir (Limoges 1841- Cagnes-sur-Mer 1919) sia stato uno dei massimi esponenti dell’Impressionismo. O meglio: che sia stato solo quello.

Certo, è vero che all’inizio del suo percorso creativo fu tra i fondatori di quella corrente artistica, ma è anche vero che ben presto se ne allontanò per seguire una strada tutta sua. La seconda impressione errata è che quella strada, diretta com’era verso un passato classico, fosse il viale del tramonto di un artista che non aveva più niente da dire.

Le opere di questa mostra dimostrano invece che quella strada andava indietro solo in apparenza, mentre in realtà conduceva in avanti. E non fu solo una strada metaforica ma reale, fatta di ghiaia, polvere e sassi, che Renoir percorse sulle orme di tanti artisti che, un secolo prima, lo avevano preceduto: era la strada del grand tour, e portava in un luogo senza il quale l’arte e la cultura del mondo non esisterebbero come li conosciamo: l’Italia.