Luncheon of the Boating Party

by Susan Vreeland

Bestselling author Susan Vreeland returns with a vivid exploration of one of the most beloved Renoir paintings in the world

Instantly recognizable, Auguste Renoir's masterpiece depicts a gathering of his real friends enjoying a summer Sunday on a café terrace along the Seine near Paris. A wealthy painter, an art collector, an Italian journalist, a war hero, a celebrated actress, and Renoir's future wife, among others, share this moment of la vie moderne, a time when social constraints were loosening and Paris was healing after the Franco-Prussian War. Parisians were bursting with a desire for pleasure and a yearning to create something extraordinary out of life. Renoir shared these urges and took on this most challenging project at a time of personal crises in art and love, all the while facing issues of loyalty and the diverging styles that were tearing apart the Impressionist group. Narrated by Renoir and seven of the models and using settings in Paris and on the Seine, Vreeland illuminates the gusto, hedonism, and art of the era. With a gorgeous palette of vibrant, captivating characters, she paints their lives, loves, losses, and triumphs in a brilliant portrait of her own.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Art, Fiction, France, Book Club, Historical, Art History

434 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Susan Vreeland was an internationally renowned best-selling author and four-time winner of the Theodor Geisel Award for Fiction, the San Diego Book Award’s highest honor. She wrote historical fiction on art-related themes, and her books have been translated into 26 languages.

Reviews

[Duane Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have an interest in art or art history, and you like historical fiction, then you will enjoy this one. This is a story of Augueste Renior as he painted The Luncheon of the Boating Party, who the models were and how they come to be in the painting. How historically accurate these events are I don't know, but Vreeland weaves an interesting storyline that fits with the gaiety of the paintings subject. This is one of those paintings that makes you say, "I wish I had been there".

[Connie G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pierre August Renoir was struggling financially in 1880, reduced to painting portraits of upper class women but wanting to work on a more satisfying project. He decided to paint "Luncheon of the Boating Party", a large painting worthy of being hung in the prestigious Salon. Renoir gathered up his friends and acquaintances to pose on a series of Sunday afternoons on the terrace of a restaurant along the Seine. Renoir wanted to depict people enjoying life in a beautiful location. He felt committed to Impressionism, but did not want to follow some of the newer Impressionists who were depicting the miserable, seedier side of life.

French society was in transition ten years after the Franco-Prussian War with more time for leisure, and more modern ways of expression. Some war veterans and a war widow were among the models for Renoir's masterpiece. The descriptions of painting were very sensual with Renoir declaring, "I only want to paint women I love, or imagine I could love." Several of the models had a romantic interest in the artist, including the woman who would eventually become his wife.

A cross-section of society is shown in the book--from the wealthy women entertaining at their afternoon salons to the performers of the Folies-Bergere to the poor prostitutes of Montmartre. People are seen working and boating along the Seine. The only sections of the book that seemed overly long were the descriptions of two afternoons of boat races. Overall, this was an excellent work of historical fiction that transported the reader to the arts community in 1880s Paris.

[Jill Nolan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love historical fiction and I was really intrigued when I found this book. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. The premise of a book set in bohemian Paris which delves into the lives and conversations of Renoir and the models for his famous painting was irresistable. While Vreeland's research is impressive and provides a lot of detail, it is done in a slow and awkward way. The book provided insight into Renoir's thought process and what it was like to be an impressionist painter. I also found her depiction of other artists of the time and the rivalry/interaction to be interesting. The painting has always seemed so alive to me with a great story to tell. The book just never reaches the point of great storytelling. Some parts are interesting, but it was actually a struggle to finish. To me, there is too much insignificant background and detail without enough character and story development. I would have been better served by an art history lesson and left to my own imaginings about the people and events of the boating party.p

[Vonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Luncheon of the Boating Party (2007) 
Author: Susan Vreeland 
Read: 9/5/2020 
Rating: 4/5 

**** This is an Acrostic Poem Review! ****

[Clue: Number of figures depicted in Renoir's "Luncheon of the Boating Party"] 


France in the summer of 1880- new decade, new ideas, new society- La Vie Moderne! 

Over the Seine perches the balcony of La Maison Fournaise, the perfect setting for an ambitious new painting that will likely okay a party in determining the future of Impressionism.  

Using his closest friends, art associates, lovers, and past lovers as models, 

Renoir sets the scene for a painting that takes from both the Impressionism and Modern Art styles and portrays a mixture of French social classes. 

The next best thing to a plane ticket and time travel, Vreeland transports her readers, immerses them in Renoir's life and world, and guides them alongside the ins-and-outs; the haphazardly miraculous process of creating a painting masterpiece. 

Even though some side stories were gratuitous, character romances overdone, and the book a tad drawn-out, 

Exhaustive research by Vreeland evinces accuracy and plausibility- 

Not to mention her highly descriptive, often sensual writing that invigorates even the most reluctant art appreciator!  


Further Reading: 
http://www.svreeland.com/lbp.html (includes an exhaustive bibliography and staggering background information) 
https://www.phillipscollection.org/co... (The Painting) 
https://www.groundsforsculpture.org/a... (the museum and particular sculpture obviously based on Renoir's painting that prompted my interest in the book- was able to walk through the painting and touch the men and women!) 

[Chrissie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is excellent. What exactly does that mean? I guess that puts it between very good and amazing. Why is it short of amazing? It is hard to feel an emotional connection to a group of about twenty characters. First you have to get to know all of them. The further you read into the story the more attached the reader feels for the numerous characters. There is not one character that is bland. Each has an interesting story to tell. Still there are just too many, and this being a book of historical fiction the author had to stick to the facts. I am glad she stuck to the facts!

There is an author's note at the end that carefully points out what is unknown and where Vreeland has filled in with her own imagination, but based on thorough research. Half way through I checked out internet; I just could not wait to the end to “know all”. The title of this book and its theme is one painting by Auguste Renoir: Le Déjeuner des Canotiers or in English The Luncheon of the Boating Party. The French link at Wiki is in fact better than the English, so I have included both:
French: http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_D%C3%...
English: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luncheon...

I am not going to repeat the details about this marvelous painting, today part of the Phillips Collection in Washington D.C. It was painted in 1880-1881. What this book does is accurately and interestingly show you how the picture came into being, how each model was chosen. All were in fact Renoir’s friends, some more so than others. The painting contains fourteen figures. One is an unknown - either Renoir himself or Guy de Maupassant. Each of these figures is depicted. You learn of their personalities, their quirks and talents, their occupations, their history and even what happens to them after the completion of the painting. It covers Parisian life, in the 1880s and the Franco-Prussian War and the Siege of Paris. Why this? Well because this war shaped these people. The book also covers Impressionism. How it began and changed and where it was at this date. And of course the Salon des Beaux-Arts, the official exhibition organized by the Académie des Beaux-Arts, the traditional art forum still firmly established. All of the competing artists are discussed. The future of Impressionism was up for grabs. How are paintings to be sold? Through the Salon or by private art dealers? The text is not dry and it does NOT read as a text book. You learn of artisans’ life in Montmartre, models and actresses and art dealers and fêtes. I adored these descriptions. There is a wonderful description of the yearly boat races held at the island of Chatou, in the Seine outside Paris, but that is part of the story so you must read the book for that. There are love affairs and jousts and competitions and dancing on barges at night and abortions and even a duel. You learn about what motivated Renoir. You learn of his future wife and even a bit about the years after the painting, old age and death.

Some of the lines are as pretty as the picture itself.

This book is interesting and it is engaging. A remarkable piece of historical fiction. It is my favorite title by this author.

The narration by Karen White was not good. This book should have been narrated by someone who really knows French. Let's just leave it at that. Otherwise, if it were not for the terrible French I think I might have liked the narration. That might mean that you will not be upset if you don't know how French should sound.

[Suzanne Krueger · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. BUT it was over written, much too long, too much flowery description; trying to convey the thoughts and feelings of an artist came across to me as melodramatic and artificial.
I am an artist. I am a colorist...but enough already describing the mixing of every color.
I finished the book and endured some of the unnecessary subplots. Paris is my favorite city; I enjoyed the historical references. I learned what I wanted to know about the concept for the painting and the people in the scene but was really disappointed with the execution of the story.
In the author's notes at the end, I was glad to have learned that the author tried to include as many facts as possible in the telling.

[Joy D · Rating 4 out of 5]

This historical fiction tells the story of the creation of the famous painting Luncheon of the Boating Party by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, which features fourteen of his friends posing as models on the terrace of the Maison Fournaise, a restaurant on the bank of the Seine. It was created in 1880-1881 during the Belle Époque era in Paris. Renoir struggles with the technical challenges of capturing the scene while managing the complex personalities of his subjects. The story weaves together romantic entanglements, class tensions, and the bohemian artistic culture of late 19th-century France.

The structure mirrors the composition of the painting, with each chapter focusing on a different figure, the person’s backstory, and relationship to the artist. Vreeland's prose style emphasizes sensory details of light, color, texture, and Impressionist techniques. The book also explores the role of women in both art and society, particularly through Aline's character and her relationship with Renoir (she later became his wife). Susan Vreeland is noted for her novels about famous paintings in art history. I had previously read and loved her book Girl in Hyacinth Blue, which remains my favorite, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one as well.

[Desiree Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

And thus began my true appreciation of the Impressionist movement. Wonderful book about Renoir.

2023 UPDATE:

THE GOOD:
Very well written, multi-faceted tale, that is simply a joy to read. There’s history of Renoir, history of the Impressionists, history of their movement and why it was significant. There’s a love story, moving backstories, info on the Franco-Prussian War and its affect on the people of Paris and France in general. We have cultural references, beautifully described land/riverscapes, quaint villages, shops, and villagers, including many historical figures who were contemporaries of Renoir. There are even several fill-color photos of Renoir’s paintings included.

THE BAD:
Supremely disappointed that the author chose to make one of the make characters gay. As far as I can tell from some brief research, there is no historical basis for this portrayal, although I freely admit I’m not an expert in this area.

CONCLUSION:
Well worth a read, if The Bad doesn’t bother you. Truly wonderful work of fiction, otherwise.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Uncle! At pg. 162 of a 429 pg. book and have found little to no inspiration to continue. I don't remember thinking much of Vreeland's Girl in Hyacinth Blue either.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars, definitely a top favourite read so far this year!

Luncheon of the Boating Party



Have you ever looked at a painting and wished it could come to life? That it would start moving, and that you could get to know the people in it?

I haven't. I've never been particularly interested in art history or paintings in more than a passing sense, beyond finding certain styles beautiful and holding in high esteem anyone talented enough to produce colourful landscapes and immortalize people by wielding a brush. As someone who can't draw a decent stickman to save her life, I've always been in awe of painters, but never really interested in the art.

Susan Vreeland's excellent novel, however, might just change that. I suddenly find myself wanting to know a great deal more about art and paintings and Impressionism. Luncheon of the Boating Party was a brilliant, completely immersive novel that read exactly as you would expect "reading" a painting would be like.

The people in that painting, they're not just models, they're people. People who lived and breathed and had lives and made time on summer Sundays to pose for Renoir, to help create this beautiful masterpiece. Nous. Us. Luncheon of the Boating Party, although narrated mostly through Renoir's point-of-view, is about everyone involved in the creation of this painting. It's as much a novel of life as it is a celebration of art. La vie moderne. That's what it's all about.

Paris in the 1880s, the scene of artists and intellects and authors and actresses, of new ideas inspired by the past and hinting at the future, the Paris of street cafés and cafés crèmes, of cabaret dancing and prestigious Salons, of bustles and top hats and boating dresses, and above all, of leisure summer days along the Seine. Vreeland shows you all this and takes you right on the terrace at la Maison Fournaise, where Renoir beautifully captured a single moment in time, of people chatting and drinking and having a good time.

The painting is not supposed to tell a story, just illustrate a moment. The story is Vreeland's work.

She introduces us to all the models you see in the painting, even some who didn't make it on the final masterpiece. Most of them were Renoir's friends, acquaintances, or former lovers. There's Alphonse and Alphonsine, whose parents own the Maison Fournaise, his good friend and fellow painter Gustave, the art critic Charles Ephrussi, aspiring author Paul Lhôte, and the beautiful actresses, Jeanne Samary, Ellen Andrée, and Angèle. There was also the annoying Cécile-Louise-with-the-even-longer-last-name who didn't make it to the final thing because she couldn't stand still. We get to know them all. Snippets of their lives, their backstories, their interactions with each other, their Sundays eating and drinking and rowing and posing.

How much work goes into a painting like this! It's unbelievable.

Inspired by some of his favourite painters, like Vermeer and Veronese, Renoir blends classic techniques with Impressionism in an attempt to achieve a breakthrough in his career and defy critics, elevating Impressionism as an art style worthy of the Louvre. The result, as we all know, is the spectacular masterpiece that is Luncheon of the Boating Party. I can honestly say that I would not hold it in such high appreciation if I hadn't read this book. To me, at first, glance, "this painting is pretty", but knowing the story behind it and how it all came about makes it so much more interesting.

I absolutely loved the character of Renoir himself. He was so winsome! You can't help but want him to desperately succeed with his painting, and admire his passion for his art and for life. Here was a man who breathed beautiful things, "seeing the world with rose-coloured glasses" as his friends would say, desperate to capture beauty, love, and happiness.

"'The world is ravishing, Alphonsine. Just look. The distinct colours of the water quivering like moirée silk, the lattice of shadows made by branches shifting, [...] Life! Ravishing life!'"

And the way he made love to women on his canvas with his brush! Oh, enchanting!

Renoir painted under two main rules he'd imposed on himself: always paint from the live model, and only paint for pleasure. And what, to a passionate man enamoured with the female form, could give him greater pleasure than to pain the women he loved? The driven way in which he combined his passions was actually incredibly inspiring to read, and I congratulate the author on perfectly conveying that to the reader.

I also absolutely adored the fascination and the importance accorded to light. Light, indeed, is so crucial in so many forms of art. I am no painter, but I've always loved a sunny mid-afternoon room permeated by warmth and light that hit just right on my embroidery hoop, or the teasing early morning rays that gently poke through curtains, announcing a lovely day of gorgeous natural light to work with.

"Light. Ah, light. Pure radiance. It made the river lavender and pale ocher and aqua and white. It made the sailboats shimmer. It made the grassy hillock on the opposite bank glow a yellow-green. It softened the lines of the railroad bridge and made everything vibrate with life."

Light is actually quite an important character in this novel, because it sets a definite deadline for the completion of the painting. Renoir gets the idea for Luncheon towards the end of the summer, when there are seemingly just enough Sundays left before the light changes from summer vibrancy to the cool golden of early September. There was such respect, such appreciation, and such an urgency about light in this novel that I really, really like.

I happened to read this book in late August/early September, and never took as much notice of the increasing change in light as I did this year. Reading about it in such an endearing way gave me a whole new appreciation for it, for which I am deeply thankful, and I was someone who was already quite obsessed with the sun and weather and seasonal changes!

Luncheon of the Boating Party was a wonderfully delectable novel, slow and sensuous like the making of the painting itself, and definitely well worth reading. My only complaint preventing me from pushing the rating to a full five stars was that certain bits did drag a little too much, and there were perhaps a few too many points of view included, from characters we didn't really hear from again, but aside from that it was a spectacularly beautiful read, full of light and colour and 1880s artist Parisian lifestyle.

[Talia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Questo libro, che narra la nascita di uno dei capolavori di Renoir, "La colazione dei canottieri" è stato capace di emozionarmi e di trasportarmi nella Francia del diciannovesimo secolo.
A volte mi è capitato, osservando un quadro (osservazioni da assoluta profana perchè non sono un'esperta d'arte), di chiedermi: "Chissà come è venuta l'idea al pittore?" oppure "Come mai avrà scelto di ritrarre proprio queste persone?"; ecco in questo libro non solo ci sono le risposte a domande come queste ma c'è molto di più! A un certo punto mi è sembrato quasi di entrare nella testa di Renoir che dipingeva sulla terrazza della "Maison Fournaise", quelle pennellate così abilmente descritte mi pareva di vederle coi miei occhi, ho avuto la sensazione che il quadro venisse nuovamente creato fra le mie mani, pagina dopo pagina.
I personaggi ritratti nel dipinto poi sono così ben caratterizzati, mi sono diventati così familiari che ora, a lettura finita, mi ritrovo a osservare un'immagine presa da internet de "La colazione dei canottieri" scoprendomi a dire a me stessa cose come: "Guarda quell'Angele, si vede che è un peperino" oppure "Quel Paul ce l'ha proprio la faccia da spericolato". Non sono più semplici figure ritratte in un dipinto, sono persone di cui ho conosciuto gioie e sofferenze: con loro ho camminato a Montmartre, sono andata dietro le quinte delle Folies Bergère, ho tifato durante le regate...insomma, con loro ho vissuto, anche se solo per alcune ore e mi sono sentita parte del "nous" (se avete letto o leggerete il libro capirete cosa intendo).
Raramente capita che un libro mi coinvolga così tanto...questo ci è riuscito! Tantissimi complimenti all'autrice, anche per l'accuratissima ricostruzione storica: Susan non avevo mai letto nulla di tuo, ma credo proprio che ci rivedremo presto!

[Luana · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Il mondo è incantevole, Alphonsine. Guardatevi intorno. Guardate i colori dell’acqua che fremono come seta marezzata, il reticolo d’ombre disegnato dai rami, il germano reale dalla testa irridescente. Non sembra in posa per me, con la luce che danza sull’anello bianco del collo? E voi, con i capelli che spuntano dal cappellino. Vita! L’incanto della vita! Se dovessi dipingere quello che vedo in quest’istante non sarebbe una mia invenzione, ma un dono… di Dio, se volete, o del flusso incessante della vita. Perché non dovrei pensare che tanta bellezza sia stata creata apposta per me?”

Ho sempre pensato di andare lì di fronte e costernarmi di fronte ad ogni singolo angolo del 129,5×172,5 cm a cui Renoir dette il nome di Le déjeuner des canotiers. Gli Impressionisti esercitano su di me un fascino irresistibile, e penso che se potessi, se sapessi dipingere, dipingerei pennellate immortali come le loro, pennellate di sensazioni, di percezioni, di colori visibili agli occhi di pochi eletti che in un tramonto potevano scorgere tutte le gradazioni, tutte le sfumature e renderle sulla tela come se avessero una vita. Erano in particolare Monet, Degas e Renoir a catturare la mia attenzione. Renoir con i suoi balli, con le sue raffigurazioni sempre così vibranti, il pittore condannato alla paralisi delle mani. Così, ho comprato questo libro, per amore di Renoir, per amore verso quei suoi canottieri in posa senza essere ingessati, in posa, ma senza grazia, così vivi e così veri. Ma non avrei mai pensato che Susan Vreeland potesse renderli così vivi e così veri. La lettura si apre con Auguste che cade da un velocipede: che scena vera, che scena reale, Renoir che cade bocconi, e chi me ne aveva mai parlato? Non certo la professoressa di Storia dell’Arte che pure si prodigò riguardo questa corrente.
Cadendo insieme con Renoir sono così entrata in questo vortice vitale che è stato la creazione del quadro che gli fruttò fama e ricchezza proprio quando Zola aveva affermato che l’Impressionismo non solo era morto, ma addirittura non era mai nato tra una pennellata maldestra e un disegno condotto senza studio. Cadendo insieme con Renoir sono entrata a Parigi nel 1880, in estate come è estate per me, e ho rivissuto quei momenti moderni, ma ancora intrisi di passato, moderni, ma ancora ancorati alla tradizione ottocentesca di redingote e classi sociali. Un viaggio nel tempo, e un viaggio nell’arte, un viaggio volto a veder come i colori si fermano sulla tela immortalando per sempre i quattordici compari di Renoir che lo aiutarono a esprimere il suo genio, posando per lui. …ma questi quattordici, chi erano? Curiosa come sono, me lo sono sempre chiesta. Insomma, erano modelli casuali, come funzionava il meccanismo per cui una persona posava per un pittore, dietro compenso? dietro amicizia? dietro la solita nottata d’amore lasciva cui i pittori andavano dietro più ancora che alla loro stessa arte? Alphonsine, Alphonse, Ellen, Angele, Pierre, Paul, Gustave, Aline e gli altri erano i quattordici di Renoir. E dietro ognuno di loro, dietro ogni volto emozionato per l’estasi culinaria gentilmente concessa da mere Fournaise c’era una storia, un rapporto con il pittore, c’erano storie tra di loro che l’osservatore potrebbe solo immaginare. Con la lettura di questo romanzo, navigando tra queste 500 pagine di Senna ho potuto saperlo, ho potuto assumere un nuovo punto di vista più esperto, più malizioso, perché ora so verso chi è volta quella bocca, chi ascolta quell’orecchio, chi vorrebbero accarezzare quelle mani.
E devo dire che la sorpresa maggiore è stata la bravura della Vreeland che non si mostra mai, lascia che i personaggi agiscano e facciano il loro corso, si intreccino, si lascino, si ritrovino in modo che la trama si dipani in modo naturale, come se nessuno ci stesse raccontando nulla, come se fossimo noi davvero spettatori, o addirittura protagonisti, della creazione di uno dei più grandi capolavori di cui l’umanità abbia potuto e possa godere. Per non parlare del capitolo finale. Dopo tre mesi di sedute, di pose, di pranzi goduti, ma anche mimati perché l’artista potesse impressionarsi e a sua volta impressionare, arriva la fine, raccontata dalla persona che forse più di tutte ha avuto influenza su Renoir, influenza umana. Mi sembrava di poter essere io a raccontarle, di stare lì a poter testimoniare cosa veramente provasse Auguste, io per Auguste, Auguste per il suo quadro, il modo in cui la critica accolse il suo capolavoro.

“Cosa credete che vedrà la gente negli anni futuri, guardando questo dipinto?” gli domandò Durand-Ruel.
“La gioia di vivere”.

Questo il riassunto. La massima di vita di un pittore che si donò alle donne che amava e che amava dipingere, di un pittore che vedeva la vita, l’ispirazione, i colori dappertutto. Un pittore che sulla sua tela non voleva mettere in scena il miserabilisme, ma appunto la gioia di vivere, comunicare il diletto di quattordici commensali a pranzo sulla Senna in una delle terrazze destinate a entrare nella Storia dell’Arte. Il riassunto che ho trovato in un romanzo vivace, fedele alla realtà, fedele a ciò che i personaggi provarono l’uno per l’altra, fedele al desiderio di Auguste di sentirsi vivo, di sentirsi gioioso e di voler trasmettere questa gioia anche agli altri, nonostante i tormenti che gli derivavano dalla pittura. Dalle ristrettezze economiche. Dal dubbio atroce di dover continuare a seguire l’Accademia o dover seguire l’anima e dipingere come il cuore gli imponeva. A risolvere i dubbi, a darci le certezze è stata la Storia, la fama che l’hanno seguito, che il suo dipinto gli portò. Ma anche Susan Vreeland, con minori pretese rispetto a quelle dei secoli, ha saputo dare contezza di questa immensa creazione, a sua volta creando una lettura mai banale, originale e commovente.

[Cristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mi e' capitato molte volte, guardando un dipinto, di lasciar scorrere l'immaginazione e fantasticare su chi fossero le persone rappresentate, quale fosse la loro vita giocando con la fantasia e divertendomi a inventare storie nella mia mente.

Susan Vreeland mi serve su un piatto d'argento un libro di 500 pagine in cui posso chiudere gli occhi e ritrovarmi in un attimo nella Parigi di fine 800, mi accompagna in questo giochino che mi diverte tanto ad assistere alla creazione di uno dei capolavori dell'impressionismo, movimento artistico che io adoro; con il suo stile fluido mi ha dato la possibilità di seguire Renoir ogni Domenica correre verso la locanda Fornaise, mi ha fatto entrare nella vita di ogni singolo personaggio dipinto su quella terrazza, ho vissuto la lotta interiore del pittore: seguire gli schemi dell'Accademia o ascoltare l'istinto e dipingere ciò che gli veniva da dentro e lo faceva sentire vivo, l'eterno dilemma restare fermi nell'angoletto sicuro aspettando che accada quacosa o scegliere, osare, rischiare.

Renoir ha osato, ha continuato a dipingere seguendo le sue emozioni senza nemmeno immaginare quante ne avrebbe regalate, di emozioni, nei secoli a venire a chi anche solo per un momento si sarebbe fermato a guardare le sue opere.

“Cosa credete che vedrà la gente negli anni futuri, guardando questo dipinto?” gli domandò Durand-Ruel.
“La gioia di vivere”.

E' proprio questo che trasmette questa opera immensa, la gioia di vivere, ed è riuscita a farlo alla perfezione anche Susan Vreeland attraverso le pagine di questo libro.

[Gael Owen · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book depicts Renoir's efforts to create one his most famous Impressionist paintings. It was our book club selection so I stuck with it to the end though I found almost any excuse I could to repeatedly put the book down and do other things . . . house cleaning, laundry, weeding, washing my hair . . .
It is over 400 pages long and should have been shortened to about 100. I found it difficult to care about any of the characters, except perhaps Alphonsine, and that was maringal. Much of the dialogue was boring and insipid and the author's frequent use of French vocabulary, which I did not understand was frustrating, as was constantly having to look at the picture on the book cover to follow her reference to characters in the scene. The best thing I can say about it is I am so glad I am done with it!

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

For our book club this month we were asked to pick a book by Susan Vreeland and read it. I picked Luncheon of the Boating Party because (1) it is based on a painting I love and (2) it takes place just outside of Paris. I didn't know much about Renoir before I read this book, but now I think I could write his biography.

Renoir sets out to challenge Zola's thought that the Impressionist painters were finished creatively when he decides to bring thirteen (oh, how he longs to find a fourteenth friend to offset the negative image of a contemporary Last Supper) of his friends to the country and have them pose for what he hopes will be his masterwork. This book tells his story, as well as the stories of his friends and the story of the France of his day and his fellow painters of his time.

Every sentence in the book reflects the author's intensive research; you can't help but learn a lot from reading this book.

[Erika Robuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

“What would they become? she wondered. What has he glimpsed in us to lay over that vast white land? Us. Nous. She said the word aloud, dropping off the s, a kind of lowing. The exhilaration she had felt yesterday surged again. She was part of something.” (113)

Luncheon of the Boating Party, Susan Vreeland

Susan Vreeland’s Luncheon of the Boating Party was published in 2007 and is 434 pages. I read it on Stephanie Cowell’s recommendation after finishing and loving her novel about Monet, Claude and Camille. What has ensued for me is a new obsession with impressionist art, and another new, favorite author.

At forty, Auguste Renoir still lives the life of a starving artist and bachelor struggling to make a name for himself and to translate his intense passions into sustenance. Frustration from recent art criticism and inspiration from a balcony at La Maison Fournaise become the perfect recipe for his idea–an intense, colorful, vibrant portrayal of his friends on a Sunday, following lunch, relaxing in the warmth of each others’ company: la vie modern.

Vreeland’s cast of characters are the people in the painting. In a detailed, and beautifully written narrative, she depicts Renoir’s difficulties assembling a group of models, finding money to pay them and buy materials, and dealing with his self-doubt, friendships, loves, and losses.

Central to the painting is Alphonsine, the daughter of the owner of the restaurant where the scene takes place. Her quiet encouragement of the painter and his subjects, and her repeated thrill of being a part of something, Nous, run like a gentle current in the book, even reaching out to include the reader.

When I finished Luncheon, I went online and found that the original painting is part of the Phillips Collection in Washington, D. C., less than an hour from my home. I look forward to the day when I may stand in front of the painting, with Renoir’s work in front of me and Vreeland’s words with me, and feel a part of Nous. Something. A shared moment in time that continues on.

If you love art or historical fiction, I highly recommend this book.

[Antonio Fanelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bello, gioviale e malinconico, romantico caleidoscopio di storie sogni passioni illusioni e delusioni.
Tutto in un paio di mesi, quelli necessari alla realizzazione del quadro che porta l'Impressionismo nell'età adulta.
Non solo storie di pittori, ma storie di tutto il mondo che gravitava a Parigi e dintorni in quegli anni.
Personaggi straordinari perché veri.
Vreeland sa raccontare l'atto creativo in modo da farlo vivere a chi legge e questo da solo basterebbe a far amare il libro :)

[Elizabeth (Alaska) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The painting of the title was the one that truly proclaimed Renoir as one of the great painters of the time. I opened a photo of it and referred to it many times while reading. In her notes, Susan Vreeland tells us of the very few times where she deviated from the historical record. It is friends of Renoir who are depicted in the painting. I found it interesting that these 14 people were not all the originals. There were some who showed up for the first sitting and never returned. Renoir scraped them out and inserted the models who would replace them.

The novel is more than the creation of this work of art. Vreeland tells the story of what was going on in the art world of the time. Names that are very familiar to us today - Monet, Degas, Cezanne, Renoir of course, and others - had formed a group. Also, Vreeland tells us the story of each of the participants in the painting. Of course, central to it all is Renoir himself who lived to paint.

I have to admit that for the first maybe one-third I thought this just a very good 3-stars. As I came to better know the participants, it became better. I didn't realize how much I had become involved with the characters until the last chapter which is called Incandescence, though in a novel on any other subject would be called Epilogue. It brought brief tears. Still, I don't think this quite reaches 5-stars.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating read, recreating Paris in the Impressionist era, the world Renoir, Monet, Degas, Cezanne, Sisley, all inhabited.

It shows the conflicts and different approaches threatening to split apart a movement which had begun, as Renoir reminisces, when he and Monet set up their easels by the river one day in 1869 and experimented with creating the effect of light on water. He recalls the excitement of those early years, when they were drunk on possibility, intoxicated by the thousand delights yet to be tasted. But some years on the movement splinters, threatening the unity which Renoir’s friend Gustave Caillebotte is desperate to preserve to maintain their credibility.

The eponymous painting comes to life during the course of the book. At one point a character reflects that it’s a rare thing to see a painting so complex emerge step by step. And that’s exactly what happens, from the initial concept, to gathering the participants, to replacing models and solving the various problems which arise, the biggest of which is potentially having thirteen in a dining scene because this creates an unlucky parallel to the Last Supper.

It was fascinating to read the delineation of strokes, colours, features, light as the painting developed. I found it helpful to look at the painting during some of these passages, to watch the composition taking shape. One of his models describes watching Renoir paint: His hand flew from the canvas to the little tin of linseed oil, to his palette, then to the canvas, back to the oil, canvas, palette. There was something wild about it, like a swallow darting to catch insects. And: He was like a violinist constantly changing the angle of his bow.

Which brings me to the painter himself. If the core of Impressionism was to catch a moment in time, this is certainly what Luncheon of the Boating Party does. Renoir describes the concept behind the painting as happiness in his time. And in a confrontation with Degas, we get more insight into what motivates him when he declares: In my mind there are too many unpleasant things in life as it is without creating still more of them...I’m in the shining business, not the darkening business. Later he says Religion’s everywhere...In the mind...The heart...And in the love you put into what you do.

Elsewhere he reveals his own history, what led him to be a painter. He calls the world ‘ravishing’ and sees beauty everywhere, but laments what he misses out on with people. This is poignant in light of the relationships which are described during the course of the story, both past, present and potential.

Renoir’s need to adore what he painted translated into a string of lovers. The author gives both viewpoints in this regard: Renoir’s own and, diametrically opposed to it, those of one of his female patrons, and the mother of his replacement model. Yet those of his past loves whom we meet in the course of the story all seem to hold Renoir in great affection. Perhaps the most poignant and complex relationship of all, though, was the one which gave Renoir something else altogether.

A truly absorbing read, this one. It’s the first I’ve read by this author, and it won’t be the last.

[Rebecca Huston · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite books to come out of 2007. A fictional treatment of how Renoir painted his work, the Luncheon of the Boating Party, and the various people in it. Wonderful story. Happily recommended.

For the longer review, please go here:
http://www.bubblews.com/news/6636706-...

[Natasa · Rating 4 out of 5]

 Each character is fully and sensitively drawn. I’ll never look at the painting the same way, again. Although it’s a work of historical fiction, this book is delightfully readable and thoroughly researched.

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Louise si batté la mano sul cuore. "Voi dipingete quello che amate? Non è vero?"
"Le cose migliori si fanno sempre per amore, madame"

[Olga]

Love, love, loved it! Full confession: I love the Impressionists and Renoir in particular. Even when some consider him saccharine and sentimental, in my si[erficial view, he is wonderful.
This novel "painted" a delightful picture of the world of Paris and France in 1880s, the world of my other favorites Guy de Maupassant, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas. Camille Pissarro etc. France is in the process of recovering from the disaster of the Franco-Prussian war, but slowly flowers begin to bloom again, gourmet meals begin to get cooked, bright fabrics for ladies fashions are again seen in the boulevards, opera, theatre, ballet, circus, regattas on the Seine run their courses, and young and not so young fall in love again.
Delights abound: colors, shapes, light, sailboats, women's (and men's) bodies, pastries, wine, cafes. All this and more come alive in this novel with unending sensuality. Even the act of painting a woman's skirt is described with unmistakable sexual imagery (paintbrush is "inserted", it "penetrates" into the deep, dark, wet of Prussian blue or aquamarine, the fabric on the canvas "enfolds" it etc.)
A sure sign of pleasure: I sat in the car in my own garage for several minutes in order to finish listening to this audiobook upon my arrival home from work.

[Odette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually like reading novels portraying real people. It's hard for me to invest in the author's version of them - I keep wanting to exchange fictionalized versions for actual biographies/memoirs so I can come to my own understanding of who they were.

That said, I really enjoyed this novel once I got over the initial hump. It was so saturated with the sense of sunlight and joyful atmosphere of impressionist artwork. I felt myself tasting the meals along with the characters, feeling a breeze coming off the river while they posed, admiring the colors and textures of the clothes they brought to the cafe where they ate and drank and laughed and flirted and posed.

I really enjoyed learning about the lives of the individual models - you rarely hear the stories of artists' models, especially the lower class ones who existed in a semi-legal twilight world and left few records of their lives. I would happily read a biography of each of them - they're all real people to me and I care about what happened to them now. I was rooting for their happiness by the end - especially that of Alphonsine.

I'm happy so many books are mentioned in the references so I can keep spending time in this world. I wish I could step through a Renoir painting and join the characters for an afternoon this spring. It's a perfect season to read this book.

[Nataša · Rating 5 out of 5]

Divno, divno... 400 stranica čistog zadovoljstva :)
Nije klasik, novijeg je datuma, lagano štivo...ali toliko lepo...
Opisi Pariza, Sene, prirode, obilje boja, zanimljivi dijalozi, sitnice koje nam omogućavaju da zavirimo u boemske živote francuskih impresionista, priča o nesebičnoj ljubavi...divota jedna!

[Rowizyx · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, La colazione dei canottieri

(Vi suggerisco di prendervi un secondo per godere di questo spettacolo dei sensi)

Renoir è spesso sottovalutato, nel gruppo degli Impressionisti, perché ha cercato una sintesi tra lo stile del passato e la ricerca della luce, del momento, e la rappresentazione della vita moderna, la stessa che dà il nome al romanzo.

Susan Vreeland con una pazienza certosina ricostruisce vite, caratteri e faccende delle persone coinvolte nella tela: i quattordici soggetti (14!), l'artista, i suoi sostenitori finanziatori, la famiglia proprietaria del ristorante, gli abitanti di Montmartre e tanti intellettuali che animarono la vita e la scena culturale parigina dopo la guerra francoprussiana e il tentativo della Comune sedato nel sangue.

Dopo un inizio un po' lento, sono stata assolutamente rapita da questo romanzo. È veramente il mio pane, tanto che mi chiedo come mai io abbia atteso tanto (quasi sei anni!) per decidermi a leggerlo. Maledetta me e le scorte infinite sul tablet.

Renoir è nelle canne, l'Impressionismo pure: passato il primo entusiasmo del momento, il gruppo è a rischio spaccatura tra i fedelissimi delle prime intenzioni e Degas, che è rimasto a occuparsi delle questioni pratiche e che è quello con più successo e, allo stesso tempo, è anche quello che vorrebbe far entrare nel gruppo i suoi fedelissimi, anche se di impressionista non hanno poi molto. Come spesso succede, la spinta naif e pura si perde nei giochi di potere.

In tutto questo Renoir, demotivato, senza un soldo e con un braccio ingessato è in cerca di amici, di committenti e di idee. La pittura en plen air non lo convince più del tutto, è alla ricerca di una sintesi tra lo stile classico – che pure ha i suoi meriti, malgrado la insensata ingessatura di stili e soggetti – e l'impressionismo. Il dibattito è anche sui soggetti: perché se l'Accademia è ancora piantata sui soggetti storici o allegorici, il "miserabilismo", la tendenza lanciata dal romanzo di Victor Hugo di mettere in luce gli ultimi, non convince Renoir. Renoir è in cerca della bellezza, ma la bellezza vera e reale, quotidiana, e non pensa che modernismo sia sinonimo di voyeurismo dei più fragili.

Una casualità lo porta sulla terrazza della Maison Fournais, e gli mette lo sprone per cercare di realizzare quel dipinto che attinga ai classici con tecniche moderne e parli del quotidiano, ma un quotidiano felice, gioioso, come poi i borghesi che potrebbero comprare il quadro vivono e sperimentano. Sulla terrazza, con l'ansia di non centrare il minaccioso numero 13 a tavola che richiamerebbe l'Ultima Cena, Renoir crea un'inquadratura di sbieco e cesella i sui soggetti nell'immortalità. Ci sono persone che sono rimaste nella memoria unicamente perché sono ritratte in questo quadro.

C'è però un impiccio: Renoir dipinge nei suoi quadri senza clienti solo donne che ama o ha amato. O che potrebbe amare.

E di domenica in domenica, di sessione di posa all'altra, gli amori di ieri e di oggi ridono, si osservano e si studiano, mentre il pittore assapora tutte le sue emozioni.

Il dipinto creato dal romanzo è efficace quanto il dipinto stesso, nel rendere questo sforzo titanico di creare una tela così grande, così particolare e così dirompente... non senza dimenticare un affresco sociale impetuoso nei suoi dettagli. Le storie di queste persone, tra ex-amanti che si vogliono sposare ma scelgono uomini dozzinali e insensibili e aspiranti attrici che vivono il folle mondo delle Folies Bergere, dove non ci si fa scrupoli a obbligare trapezisti a lanciarsi il loro bambino di due anni, le spinte suffragiste e le tante difficoltà di un'epoca moderna ma non per questo meno iniqua.

Ho provato e provo forti sentimenti contrastanti nei confronti del protagonista, perché se l'artista mi affascina l'uomo mi ripugna allo stesso tempo. Per carità, Renoir vive il suo tempo e cavalca la rivoluzione culturale in corso, compreso il libertinaggio e l'idea che le donne siano bei soggetti da ritrarre e dolci amanti, al massimo mogli che è piacevole avere intorno a svolgere le faccende domestiche in modo elegante e armonioso mentre l'uomo lavora.

Una lettura magnifique.

[Anna [Floanne] · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Cosa credete che vedrà la gente negli anni futuri, guardando questo dipinto?” gli domandò Durand-Ruel.
“La gioia di vivere.”

Quando l’arte incontra il romanzo io mi incanto e mi emoziono. “La vita moderna” è un grande affresco della Parigi di fine Ottocento in cui l’autrice fa rivivere i personaggi di uno dei più celebri e innovativi quadri del periodo impressionista: “La colazione dei canottieri”, di Renoir. Dipinto da Renoir come gesto di sfida ad una provocazione dello scrittore Zola, che accusava gli impressionisti di non saper dipingere e di essere ormai un movimento pittorico destinato a morire per l’ostinazione di questi pittori a non seguire i canoni tradizionali dettati dal Salon, privilegiando il disegno en plein air senza alcun studio preparatorio, questo enorme quadro raffigura un momento di vita vera e spensierata in cui un gruppo di amici chiacchiera amabilmente dopo aver pranzato sul terrazzo della maison Fournaise. I personaggi escono dal quadro e le loro storie emergono vibranti tra le pagine del libro. Il lettore fa così la conoscenza di Alphonsine Fournaise e la sua famiglia, Aline Charigot, che diventerà musa e futura moglie di Renoir, di Gustave Caillebotte, amico e pittore a sua volta, di Jeanne Semary, popolare attrice e modella e di tante altre figure che animano la tela. È un romanzo molto lungo ed estremamente dettagliato nelle descrizioni ma ogni particolare della storia è come una piccola pennellata di un quadro impressionista, indispensabile per dare un senso alla visione d’insieme. A me è piaciuto molto!

[Fred Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an exceptional historical fiction, unlike anything I’ve read before. Susan Vreeland has artfully written the story of the creation of Renoir’s Luncheon of the Boating Party painting, his rendition of “La Vie Moderne” The Modern Life. It is said to be Renoir’s greatest accomplishment as an Impressionist in the 19th century. Ms Vreeland describes the selection of the location for the painting, Renoir’s search for his models, how he wanted them to pose, sources for oils and canvas, and the details of the creation, all in a riveting narrative. She includes scenes of Paris in 1880, sailing regattas on the Seine, as well as descriptions of delectable French cuisine.

My attempt to give you an idea of the power of this novel has done little justice to the creativity of Susan Vreeland and the glimpse she provides of the life of Renoir. You would have to read it to believe it.

[Jeanette]

Not for me. No rating. Too much description and too many words where a picture would do.

[Book Concierge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audio book performed by Karen White
3***

In the summer of 1880 Pierre-Auguste Renoir painted what was to become one of his most instantly recognizable masterpieces, depicting a gathering of friends enjoying an afternoon on a café terrace along the Seine near Paris. His fourteen models included, among others, a famous painter, an art collector, a celebrated actress, the café owner’s daughter, a war hero, an Italian journalist, and a laundress. This was shortly after the Franco-Prussian war, and social constraints were loosening as Parisians embraced la vie moderne – pursuing pleasure and striving for a joyful life. It was also a time when the Impressionist group was being torn apart by diverging viewpoints and changing styles.

Vreeland has written several novels about the world of art - The Forest Lover (about Emily Carr), Girl in Hyacinth Blue (about a Vermeer painting) and Clara and Mr. Tiffany (about Tiffany’s decorative arts studio). She bases her works of fiction on solid research into the life and times of the artist/artwork, and uses her imagination to embellish the details of conversation, thoughts and feelings to make the scenes come alive. The word portraits she “paints” are as vivid as the works on art which inspire her. Using seven different characters to narrate this work gives us a broader perspective on the era and helps the reader understand the significance of the exciting changes Renoir’s painting conveyed. However, I found my mind wandering and I did not feel as connected to the people (or the art) as I have in other novels by Vreeland.

I wonder if this is because I listened to the audio rather than read the text. Karen White does a credible job on the audio – her pacing is good, her pronunciation of French apparently accurate (I don’t speak French, so how would I know, really). Still, the art of which Vreeland writes is a visual medium and I can’t help but wonder if I would have been more engaged if I had been using my eyes rather than listening.

Vreeland begins with a quote: To my mind, a picture should be something pleasant, cheerful, and pretty, yes pretty! There are too many unpleasant things in life as it is without creating still more of them. - Pierre-Auguste Renoir
I did have the hardcover edition of the book handy, which has several color plate reproductions of not only Le dejeuner des canotiers but other Renoir paintings also referenced in the novel. I found myself constantly referring to the paintings, studying the composition and use of color, noticing how a daub of white here or a streak of lavender there would enhance and define the figures, the setting, and the artist’s vision. And I must thank Vreeland for calling my attention to these details and helping me understand what made Renoir’s work more than a just a pretty painting, but a masterpiece. As for the novel, in my opinion it is a pretty book – pleasing and enjoyable, but not a masterpiece.