I was visiting Quebec City on a long weekend last spring. It was my second time in Quebec City and the surrounding area. I really like its European atmosphere and the chance to stroll around the Petit-Champlain District, where art galleries, craft shops and gift shops align on the narrow cobblestone streets. I also enjoyed taking a short drive outside the city.
When I arrived at the old antique hotel in Quebec City, I was impressed to see many framed prints of Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s paintings displayed throughout my hotel room. Looking at the largest one by the window, I noticed that the painting was the same one that I’d once discovered something really interesting about some time before. The title of the painting is “Luncheon of the Boating Party“.
At first glance, it seems like a painting of a nice friendly outdoor party with young men and women enjoying the beautiful weather. Then I noticed that, with the people in the foreground of the painting, there was not a single one whose eyes were directed at the person who was looking at them. Everyone’s eyes were looking at something or someone else, despite the fact that they were sitting and standing close to one another. What it does is move the viewer’s eyes from one person to another within the painting guided by the subjects’ eyes. This also applies to most of the people in the background.
I also noticed there was another painting that had a very similar theme. It was of a large outdoor party scene with some people dancing called “Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette (Bal du moulin de la Galette)“. The eyes of some people seemed distracted as they all looked in unlikely directions.

I had never particularly studied his paintings before, nor am I an expert in interpreting figurative artwork, but I remember well what an interesting quality I thought his paintings had. I interpreted it as if the piece of artwork was capturing the typical human behaviour of being interested in something that is beyond reach. My friend agreed and added that it was also typical of the time for those of the upper class to conceal their own true feelings. Either way, I think both those attitudes still exist even now for some people in some situations. For those reasons, what is in the painting is truly timeless and therefore, it is a great piece of art.
Art is in the eyes of the beholder. What do you see in those paintings and what do you think about them?