The Grands Boulevards

Gallery 252, European Art 1850-1900, second floor (Toll Gallery)

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The Grands Boulevards

1875

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (French, 1841–1919)

Perhaps Renoir's most famous view of Paris is this archetypical image of its newest and most fashionable district in the 1870s. The Grands Boulevards is full of the pigment daubs and bright colors that are characteristic of Impressionism. The modern life in the city is transmitted through visible strokes of paint, which operate as immediate sensory cues that allow the viewer to perceive this world as though it is passing by. This is the magic of Renoir's Paris. The world of the painting is truly historical--the modern city emerging--even though his translation of this place is a subjective and fleeting impression.

Gallery 252, European Art 1850-1900, second floor (Toll Gallery)

Object Details

Title:

The Grands Boulevards
Les Grands Boulevards

Date:

1875

Artist:

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (French, 1841–1919)

Medium:

Oil on canvas

Dimensions:

20 1/2 × 25 inches (52.1 × 63.5 cm) Framed: 29 × 33 1/8 × 4 3/8 inches (73.7 × 84.1 × 11.1 cm)

Classification:

Paintings

Credit Line:

The Henry P. McIlhenny Collection in memory of Frances P. McIlhenny, 1986

Accession Number:

1986-26-29

Geography:

Made in France, Europe

Provenance

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Gallery 252, European Art 1850-1900, second floor (Toll Gallery)

Main Building

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