Painting by Pierre Auguste Renoir “The Lodge” is one of his most famous works. The theatrical box depicted on it, marked by only a few elements, is rather a decoration, a frame for the main action.
In its genre, this work is a portrait, and a double one. In the foreground, the artist depicted a woman with a small binoculars in one hand and a graceful handkerchief in the other. Behind her is a man who imposingly sits in an armchair and attentively watches what is happening on stage using theatrical binoculars. Interestingly, despite the fact that the artist placed these two figures next to each other, they seem completely alien and unsuitable to each other.
In the smallest details, Renoir portrayed the outfits of the lady, located in the theatrical box. Each fold of her dress made of fabric, with a pattern of wide stripes, a pearl necklace around a graceful neck – all this creates an image of a beautiful and mysterious stranger.
A woman’s facial expression contrasts sharply with her brilliant outfit: she looks very restrained and strict. The woman’s aloof and almost indifferent to what is happening: she looks directly at the viewer, but her thoughts are somewhere far away, she is not at all keen on acting on the stage. Details of the female toilet, carefully traced by the artist, do not distract the viewer from admiring the face of the woman.
In this work, Auguste Renoir made full use of his find: a combination of black and pearl colors. This creates the effect of a certain solemnity and theatricality. For the image of a man the artist posed for his brother Edmond.
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