Renoir

Bal du Moulin de la Galette (1876)

The large-scale painting of the dance is generally regarded as one of the masterpieces of Impressionist art. It depicts a typical Sunday afternoon at the Moulin de la Galette with ordinary Parisians, in their Sunday best, enjoying a glass of wine and a modest meal.

The Moulin de la Galette was located at the highest point in the Parisian district of Montmartre. It was the location of a mill where the miller baked an exceptionally tasty brown bread referred to as 'galette'. The 'galettes' were sold from the mill itself and it became a popular place to relax. The Sunday scenes became the inspiration for artists such as Van Gogh, Pisarro, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Renoir.