Regatta at Argenteuil (Régates à Argenteuil), 1874 by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Regatta at Argenteuil (Régates à Argenteuil), painted by Pierre-Auguste Renoir in 1874 gathers a fleet of pale sailboats moored along the Seine at Argenteuil, their sails built up in thick strokes of cream and ivory against a warm, hazy sky. A loose row of spectators in dark clothing lines the grassy bank at left, their silhouettes reduced to quick dabs of paint that convey the informal bustle of a summer regatta day. Renoir painted the scene in 1874, the same year he helped launch the first Impressionist exhibition, capturing the fashionable boating culture that also drew Monet and Manet to this Seine-side town outside Paris.

Artist: Pierre-Auguste Renoir (French, 1841-1919). Date: 1874.

Regatta at Argenteuil (Régates à Argenteuil), 1874 by Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Impressionist Sailing Canvas Print.