Renoir's paintings celebrating beauty on display in Seoul

“Child with Toys – Gabrielle and the Artist’s Son, Jean” (1895-1896)

By Kwon Mee-yoo

French Impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) once said "Why shouldn't art be pretty? There are enough unpleasant things in the world." An exhibition in Seoul sheds light on the artist's devotion to female beauty.

"Renoir ― Images of Women" held at Seoul Metropolitan Museum of Art (SeMA) features some 47 of the French painter's works celebrating beauty and feminine sensuality with his soft palette. The exhibition also commemorates the 130th anniversary of diplomatic ties between France and Korea and the 70th anniversary of the Korean daily Kyunghyang Shinmun.

Renoir is an Impressionist, but his indoor paintings and portraits are better known than his landscapes. The exhibit is divided into four sections ― "Children & Young Women," "Women in Family," "Women in All Aspects" and "Bathers and Nudes."

"Young Girls by the Sea" (1894) represent how Renoir reflected his ideal in his paintings. "Some of the most famous Renoir paintings are those of two girls. He once said 'We must embellish,' and he indeed painted beautiful things only. Girls rambling in nature was ideal for Renoir," an official of HANKOOKinterCULTURE, which co-organized the exhibit with SeMA, explained.

Renoir also produced many paintings with fancy hats, including "Girls Putting Flowers on Their Hats" (1893).

"Back then, hats were an indicator of social status and Renoir was interested in adorning hats. Sometimes, he ordered hats for his models and decorated them by himself," the official said.

Family was another favorite subject of Renoir. "Child with Toys ― Gabrielle and the Artist's Son, Jean" (1895-1896) is a painting that Renoir hung on his own wall.

The painting features Renoir's second son Jean and the family's nanny Gabrielle Renard, who also frequently modeled for Renoir. It captures a very affectionate, natural moment within a family. Renard shared a bond with Jean, who later became a filmmaker, which lasted throughout their lives.

Renoir also left handful paintings of bathers and nudes, but they are less voyeuristic than most nude paintings.

"Renoir was interested in the outlines of women's body and he painted the lines and pearly skins from the back or side perspectives. Buxom bodies depicted in Renoir’s works symbolize the ultimate feminine beauty," the official explained.

Renoir was a prolific artist and left over 5,000 pieces of works and about 2,000 of them are portraits. Among works on display, "Study of Women" is from a private collection and opened to the public for the first time at this exhibit.

"We suspect there must be more studies or sketches of Renoir, but the artist did not pay much attention to these incomplete studies and many of them are no longer in existence," the official said.

The final section of the exhibit features two detailed replicas of a Renoir painting. It is not framed but gives visitors a chance to touch and feel the artist's unique thin application of paint, which is usually off-limits, through this replica.

The exhibit runs through March 26. Admission is 13,000 won for adults. For more information, visit renoir2016.modoo.at or call 02-2124-8800.