Musée d'Orsay, Paris

The museum of Orsay contains a beautiful collection of Auguste Renoir's works among which the two large paintings with dancers impressed me from my first visit here.
"Dance in the country" and "Dance in the city" (1883) belong to the second period called "Ingresque" or "dry" of Renoir. The drawing is more net, the outline more precise than with his first "impressionistic" period (1864-1883).
Renoir wrote "I had gone up to the end of the impressionism and I arrived to the observation that I did not know how to paint or draw." Amazing this questioning by a master of the impressionistic art!

He painted three couples of dancers among whom two are here on display in the museum of Orsay, room 39, the third is in Boston.
I was particularly seduced by these couples of dancers. The man leaning forwards murmurs soft things to the ear of his partner; she, beautiful woman, red-haired, follows with elegance the movement of the music (a waltz?).
We know that she is Suzanne Valadon who was also a model for Puvis de Chavannes and Toulouse-Lautrec and became herself a painter and mother of the painter Utrillo.
After his short "ingresque" period from 1883 till 1890, Renoir enters his period "nacrée - pearly" The term represents very well the shape, the colour, the light and the sensual delight of this period during which he paints numerous "baigneuses - the bathers".
In the same room 39 are two other beautiful paintings of his pearly period -
"période nacrée"
"Jeunes filles au piano" (1892) and "Grand nu" (1907).

Renoir was a very prolific painter: more than 4000 paintings!

NOTE:In July 2008 "Dance in the Country" was not at Orsay but travelling around the world.

Open 9.30 - 18 h (on Thursday 21.45 h). Closed on Monday.
Tickets can be bought from 9 h on.
Price 8 €. Reduced 18 - 30 yr 5,50 €. Free less than 18 yr.
• Address: Musée d'Orsay, upper floor, room 39
• Directions: Métro: line 12, Solférino station; RER: line C, Musée d'Orsay station
• Website: http://www.musee-orsay.fr/