"For me a painting should be an agreeable thing, joyful and pretty, yes pretty."
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
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Paris, 1872. Locals are strolling across the Pont Neuf, one of the city’s bridges, beneath a beautifully blue sky. The painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir, standing nearby in a café, is trying to convey the scene on canvas.
The architecture is easy enough since it remains in place. But the pedestrians…that’s another story. How can he paint the crowds if they won’t stop moving?
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Pierre-Auguste Renoir, "Pont Neuf, Paris", 1872, oil on canvas, 29.5 x 36.6 in., National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.
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To solve this problem, Renoir enlists the help of his younger brother, Edmund, asking him to walk along the bridge and stop the meandering Parisians. His mission: pose a question about the time or engage them in a brief conversation—anything to get them to stand in place.
Once they’re still, the painter has a few moments to study their silhouettes and sketch them on his canvas. A rather nifty technique!
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Pierre-Auguste Renoir, "Reading Couple (Edmund Renoir and Marguerite Legrand)", 1877, oil on canvas, private collection.
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Like many Impressionists, Renoir aims to depict a particular moment. In his Pont Neuf piece, he tries to show the area’s bustling energy and the warmth of the midday sun.
In just a few brushstrokes, he captures flower merchants, pushcart drivers and sophisticated ladies beneath parasols. These characters are immortalized in the midst of their daily activities.
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Pierre-Auguste Renoir, "Pont Neuf, Paris", 1872, oil on canvas, 29.5 x 36.6 in., National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. Detail of the work.
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Looking more closely into the crowds, we recognize the elegant Edmund, sporting a yellow hat and slim cane. The artist manages to include his own brother not once but twice in the painting!
What’s the lesson here? If someone starts to talk you up on the street, make sure you strike your best pose. A painter might not be far away!
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Pierre-Auguste Renoir, "Pont Neuf, Paris", 1872, oil on canvas, 29.5 x 36.6 in., National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. Detail of the work.
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 For me a painting should be an agreeable thing, joyful and pretty, yes pretty.
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Pierre-Auguste Renoir 
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Eugène Murer, "Portrait of Pierre-Auguste Renoir", 1877, oil on canvas, private collection.
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How many times does Edmund Renoir appear in Pont Neuf?
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