Historical Background
Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841–1919) was one of the leading painters of French Impressionism during the second half of the 19th century. His signature style shows delicacy and fluidity with a sense of glowing luminosity. While his favorite subjects were portraits of everyday women in urban settings or nude women in bathing scenes, his landscapes reveal a greater diversity of interest and lighting. One of his masterpieces, Pont Neuf, Paris, is a brilliant example.
Scene Composition
Pont Neuf, Paris is an oil on canvas measuring 75.3 x 93.7 cm (29 5/8 x 36 7/8 in.). It presents an elevated perspective of the famous Parisian bridge, Pont Neuf.
Renoir captures a lively street scene framed by the bridge’s Renaissance stonework, 19th-century gaslight poles, and buildings on the Left Bank of the Seine that form the background. Countless people are crossing Pont Neuf in both directions—with horses, omnibuses, and even a wheelbarrow—adding to the pedestrian crowds.
Pont Neuf
Construction of Pont Neuf began in 1578 under King Henri III and ended 29 years later in 1607 under King Henri IV. Pont Neuf means “New Bridge,” but ironically it is now the oldest surviving bridge in Paris. Built of stone, it spans 232 m (761 ft.) in length and 22 m (72 ft.) in width. Pont Neuf forms a series of five arches from the Left Bank and seven arches from the Right Bank, connecting in the middle the Île de la Cité, where the famous Notre-Dame Cathedral Paris stands.
It was a revolutionary feat of urban planning and sanitation because it established designated pedestrian walkways flanking the interior carriage lanes, thereby promoting fluid and safe traffic. The bridge quickly became an international symbol of Paris centuries before the Eiffel Tower. Renoir’s painting captures an iconic monument that links French Renaissance ingenuity with 19th-century Parisian life. Even today in 21st-century Paris, past glories remain an everyday experience.
Elevated Perspective
Renoir, like many of his Impressionist contemporaries, preferred to paint en plein air (outdoors) to feel and then capture the experience in paint. However, Renoir took a slightly different approach with this masterpiece.
Sitting outdoors on one of the river‘s banks would not have provided Renoir with an elevated perspective to capture the bridge’s full majesty as it crosses the famous Seine. Therefore, Renoir approached the owner of a café on the Right Bank and asked to view the bridge from the café’s private first floor, above the public ground floor. Open to earning some easy income, the café owner agreed to a small rental fee so that Renoir could paint from the upper floor. Renoir agreed to a one-day rental only, and observed and painted Pont Neuf, Paris in just one sitting! What skill and dexterity!
Edmond Renoir
Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s younger brother, Edmond Renoir, accompanied him on the day of painting Pont Neuf, Paris. Edmond was not a passive observer of Pierre-Auguste but a valued collaborator and assistant. While Pierre-Auguste sat, observed, and painted from the first-floor café window, Edmond was on the bridge stopping pedestrians he thought were visually interesting. Edmond’s discernment aided and improved Pierre-Auguste’s figures in the painting.
How the brothers communicated is unknown, but there must have been some sort of visual communication based on body gestures, as auditory communication would not have been possible over such a great distance with the noisy and busy thoroughfare.
Character Model
Edmond Renoir was more than a painter’s assistant. He was also a model for his brother and is depicted not once, but twice in the painting. First, he is first spotted in the central foreground holding a walking stick and wearing a yellow straw hat, a dark jacket, a pink boutonniere, and light pants. He faces the viewer and casts a shadow before him.
He is also shown in the far left foreground, wearing the same dandyish outfit, but he does not face the viewer; instead he walks into the scene over the bridge. Edmond Renoir has become a character model in this visual novel.
People-Watching
Renoir captures the vibrancy of a bustling Parisian street with all the fascination of an excited onlooker. The viewer, like Renoir, has a sense of people-watching, a famous pastime in the City of Lights. Is it not fascinating to observe people’s fashion, comportment, and attitude? Curious and creative onlookers may even imagine the stories behind the figures. Perhaps the woman and child in the bottom right corner are mother and daughter, strolling to a nearby park?
Perhaps the woman in black in the bottom right foreground is a widow with her black parasol, bustled dress, and grey shawl? Has she just visited a nearby church to light a candle for her deceased husband? Has she just visited a cheerful friend to momentarily lift her spirits during this difficult time? Or perhaps she is not a widow and simply wears black because it is a cheaper color to maintain and easier to keep looking clean?
With every figure captured in Pont Neuf, Paris there are multiple character stories to imagine and discuss. What a visual narrative!
National Identity
Renoir painted Pont Neuf, Paris shortly after the horrible, infamous Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871). The war marked the fall of the Second Empire when Emperor Napoléon III and Empress Eugénie ruled over an affluent, intellectual, and culturally rich France. It had been a glorious 18 years for French arts and culture. But that prosperity drastically collapsed with the Prussian invasion of Paris near the end of the war.
Renoir presents a hopeful and patriotic view of Paris as it recovers and approaches normalcy under the newly established Third Republic. The tricolor national flag of France is held aloft a pole near the painting’s right edge. This revolutionary flag of 1794 represents the fiery spirit, republican pride, and national identity found in the hearts of many French people.
Further in the background and to the left of the flag is the equestrian statue of King Henri IV, who is still regarded as one of the best kings of France. He converted from Protestantism to Catholicism to be eligible to rule France and famously quipped: “Paris vaut bien une messe” (“Paris is well worth a mass”). His attitude reflected a spirit of opportunity, progress, and innovation, further cemented as the finisher of Pont Neuf.
Moveable Feast
Pont Neuf, Paris is a masterpiece of French Impressionism and Parisian art. It explores the rich history of Renaissance France, the lively crowds of 19th-century society, and the modern beauty of Paris. The painting lifts the spirits with its visual charm and soulful energy. It captures the beautiful mood of Paris, and is a moving feast for the eyes and psyche. Ernest Hemingway was correct: “Paris is a moveable feast.”