The Blue River

c. 1890/1900

Auguste Renoir

Artist, French, 1841 - 1919

Jewel-toned blue, red, yellow, green, and pearl white brushstrokes swirl and stretch in this loosely painted horizontal landscape painting. The thick texture of the paint throughout evokes the sense of touch, even in this digital reproduction. Cobalt-blue streaks nearly fill the lower half of the composition. Terracotta-orange dabs in the lower left corner suggest rocks and blocky strokes of green in the lower right vegetation. An elongated white triangle to our right in the blue area suggests a sailboat. The far riverbank is painted with thin bands of ruby red, grapefruit pink, and teal green. Trees painted as puffy forms above are layered with wine red, forest green, and canary yellow. Yellow streaks in the water below suggest reflections. The sky is a patchwork of white, azure blue, and touches of lavender purple. The artist signed the lower right corner, “renoir.”

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall (including taped edges): 7.7 x 9.6 cm (3 1/16 x 3 3/4 in.)
    framed: 18.7 x 21 x 4.4 cm (7 3/8 x 8 1/4 x 1 3/4 in.)

  • Accession

    1970.17.75

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Capt. Edward H. Molyneux [1891-1974], Paris, by 1952;[1] sold 15 August 1955 to Ailsa Mellon Bruce [1901-1969], New York; bequest 1970 to NGA.
[1]Exhibited as part of the Molyneux collection in 1952 at the National Gallery of Art.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1952

  • French Paintings from the Molyneux Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1952, unnumbered checklist.

1956

  • Hampton National Historic Site, Towson, MD, May - October 1956

1961

  • French Paintings of the Nineteenth Century from the Collection of Mrs. Mellon Bruce, California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, 1961, no. 39, repro

1978

  • Small French Paintings from the Bequest of Ailsa Mellon Bruce. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1978: 68, repro. (continuing exhibition beginning in 1978).

2012

  • Renoir: la vie en peinture, Scuderie del Castello Visconteo, Pavia, 2012, no. 14, repro.

Bibliography

1918

  • Vollard, Ambroise. Tableaux, Pastels & Dessins de Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Paris, 1918:135, repro.

1975

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Summary Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1975: 302, repro.

1978

  • Small French Paintings from the Bequest of Ailsa Mellon Bruce. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1978: 68, repro. (continuing exhibition beginning in 1978).

1985

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1985: 346, repro.

Inscriptions

lower right: renoir

Wikidata ID

Q20190085

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