Focus on Dance at Bougival and explore the The Dance paintings.
Dance at Bougival is one of three paintings produced for the art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel. The three paintings are very similar to each other, each depicting a couple dancing in a different environment. The other pieces, Dance in the City and Dance in the Country, have similar pastel coloring and a whimsical aura. The paintings were all completed between January and April 1883, described by Colin B. Bailey as, "among the most productive three months in Renoir's career." These paintings combined Renoir's early stylistic endeavors, painting outside scenes, with his work on portraits that he developed while in Italy. Anne Distel writes that the titles of the paintings are not necessarily noteworthy and that their main purpose was to distinguish between the three paintings and the places where the dances were taking place. By doing so, the viewer can understand that Renoir is depicting the same dance as it occurs in three different parts of French society. There is a formal ball depicted in Dance in the City, a country dance in Dance in the Country, and a more informal outdoor event in Dance at Bougival.
French Bougival Paul Durand-Ruel Dance in the Country Dance in the City