If this Easter you don't have the opportunity to travel, you can do so through the CaixaForum+ platform. It is free, you just need to register, and it is full of cultural content that will offer you an alternative to exhibitions, museums, concerts or operas. Documentaries that will transport you to the world of multiple artists and writers, their lives and their works.One of the options is Renoir in love, a documentary that takes you on a journey through the paintings of the artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir. The production is linked to the exhibition that has just opened at the Musée d'Orsay: Renoir and Love. Happy Modernity (1865-1885). Part of the narrative is constructed from the biography written by his son, filmmaker Jean Renoir, after a period during which they were able to share conversations. Pierre-Auguste Renoir was known as the painter of happiness, the man who painted for fun. He reinvented the art of his time when the world was undergoing great transformation. Life was accelerating, with a great desire to enjoy the present. The Impressionists exalted the culture of leisure, with people outdoors doing simple things: la joie de vivre.The documentary uses archival images of Paris from the late 19th century which are related to his paintings. A way to discover the utopia of the world the artist dreamed of. Experts provide the context. They explain how history, society, friendships, and family will influence the scenes, the light in the paintings, the brushstrokes, and the colors.Renoir's paintings help explain how couple relationships and the concept of seduction are changing in 19th-century society. We also discover how the painter disguised certain realities that emerged through a more refined gaze. The painting "The Loggia" hides details of a couple who perhaps were not as happy as they might have seemed at first glance. The gender perspective analysis of the female figures, which were so often the central theme of his works, is very interesting. Renoir went from being considered a feminist to a misogynist, and the documentary takes a cross-sectional look at his paintings to explain the reasons for this evolution. The narration strives for us to distance ourselves from the clichés associated with the painter and to try to understand him from the perspective of the era, re-signifying the concepts of love, romanticism, crowds, and leisure.“An artwork must grab you, completely envelop you, transport you”, said Pierre-August Renoir. And this documentary, Renoir in love, helps make that a reality, revealing how his personal life transformed his work and how he projected himself into his paintings. It is a privileged guided tour of the artist's exhibition at the d’Orsay museum, but without the need to travel to Paris.
