For the “Breakfast of the Rowers”, Renoir was posed by his friends, who came to Chatou separately. Despite the apparent ease of the scene, its composition was carefully built. The viewer's gaze is skillfully directed from Caillebotte, sitting in the foreground on the right, to the girl leaning on the railing and further to the boats on the Seine and the Chatou railway bridge. All characters are depicted in natural poses, the features and faces of the models, their gestures are clearly defined.

The painting, called “The Luncheon of the Rowers,” was painted in 1881 by the famous impressionist Pierre Auguste Renoir in the heart of the impressionist genre – France.

With his painting, the artist praises pleasant company, delicious food and wine, and a charming view. The canvas is filled simultaneously with movement, which was depicted thanks to the facial expressions and gestures of people, and with space and air. It seems to invite you to join and enjoy, to try to feel freedom.

Composition

In this context, the composition is noteworthy - despite its apparent spontaneity, one half of the railing is completely filled with people, while the second could accommodate several more.

Pierre Auguste Renoir included his friends in the scene, which is generally not uncommon for his work, mainly eminent members of the French artistic community.

Renoir's future wife

But what stands out most is the lady in the lower left corner, playing with her dog. This is Alina Sharigo, whom the artist marries 9 years after writing “The Rowers’ Breakfast.”

Renoir puts all his warm feelings into writing Alina, despite the fact that she is only part of the overall picture. The girl is isolated from other people - she doesn’t have fun with anyone, doesn’t flirt. Even her figure is made in brighter and more saturated colors.

Next to Alina, gentlemen in informal clothes and a lady in magnificent attire are noticeable, and behind them women and men are depicted engrossed in conversation.

The work of art contains 3 elaborate scenes at once:

rich still life

guest figures

smooth surface of the river

The contrast of dark and light, cold and warm shades leaves viewers with a feeling of ease, which is deepened by the successful play of light - the rays of the sun, passing through the entire picture, highlight the rosy cheeks of the ladies, the whitish collars of their dresses and the T-shirts of the men, and ultimately melt into space.

It is possible that “The Luncheon of the Rowers” became world famous and beloved precisely thanks to the lightness of Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s brush. The sharpness of the strokes used to display the details and the smoothness of the impressionistic writing, especially noticeable in the landscape, intertwine and merge into one, creating a seemingly familiar naturalness and freedom.