We were delighted to discover this wonderful silent movie footage of Renoir, as he paints. It appears that Renoir had a assistant who, similarly to a surgical assistant today, handed him his tools and cared for many of his needs while he painted. In this short clip, Renoir also chats with a man whose identity we do not know, but who might have been a client, patron, or friend.
Welcome to Red Poulaine's Musings. Here we hope to entertain and delight you with stories about the people and times from bygone eras and the vintage images that act as our windows into their times. Red Poulaine is a husband and wife joint enterprise on Etsy. We take pride in offering fine, interesting vintage items to our customers, while providing the best customer service possible. Please come visit us at http://www.etsy.com/shop/redpoulaine today.
Showing posts with label Impressionists. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Impressionists. Show all posts
Friday, September 28, 2012
Monday, September 17, 2012
Pierrot's Origins Can Be Found in the Commedia dell'Arte
Pierrot's origins can be found in the Commedia dell'Arte, a 16th century theatrical movement of traveling players who performed (often with favorite "stock" characters) on temporary open air stages. The tragic opera Pagliacci (trans. players or clowns), by Ruggero Leoncavallo, premiered at the Teatro Dal Verme in Milan on May 21, 1892. It is a tale of travelling players and features a romantic triangle with a Pierrot-like clown, who betrayed by his wife and a Harlequin-like fellow performer resorts to murder.
For a real treat, check out this performance of what is probably the most well known aria in Pagliacci, "Vesti la giubba," sung by Luciano Pavarotti, one of the great tenors of our time.
It was probably in the late 17th century that an Italian troupe known as Comedie-Italienne, while performing in Paris, first introduced Pierrot to the French public.
Pierrot is often depicted as the sad clown, the ever trusting innocent, the sweet-natured soul, whose lover Colombine (sometimes called Colombinette or Colombina) betrays him with the wily Harlequin. But, with the popularity of pantomime, he often stood alone on the stage trying oh, so very hard to express his experience of life, without the words to do so.
By the late 1880s, with the dawning of la Belle Époque, Pierrot was to meet a new friend, Pierrette, who would vie with Colombine for his affections.
Pierrot's image was a favorite of Jules Chéret, possibly the most successful commercial artist of the period. In the Fine Arts, the Impressionists, and Post-Impressionists were inspired by Pierrot.
It is not at all unusual to find wonderful photos and RPPCs (Real Photo Post Cards) of couples at Carnival, or fêtes, dressed as Pierrot and his ensemble. Sometimes, even whole families get into the act.
Publishers of French postcards made successful use of Pierrot to create romantic, silly, and sometimes mysterious images to please the picture postcard buying public.
We are so very fond of Pierrot, here at Red Poulaine, that he shares a section in our shop with another favorite of ours, Mignon. But, fair warning, when you find him in stock, if you are a collector, better grab him quickly, because he is a very popular character and, like the traveling players from whom he is descended, seldom stays long in one place.
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| Enrico Caruso, 1873-1921, in "Pagliacci,"c. 1908. Copyright by A. Dupont, N.Y. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
It was probably in the late 17th century that an Italian troupe known as Comedie-Italienne, while performing in Paris, first introduced Pierrot to the French public.
Pierrot is often depicted as the sad clown, the ever trusting innocent, the sweet-natured soul, whose lover Colombine (sometimes called Colombinette or Colombina) betrays him with the wily Harlequin. But, with the popularity of pantomime, he often stood alone on the stage trying oh, so very hard to express his experience of life, without the words to do so.
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| SOLD Pierrot and Colombinette asleep on a crescent moon |
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| SOLD Pierrot wooing Colombine |
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| Paul Cézanne: Pierrot and Harlequin (1888, Oil on canvas) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
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| SOLD Pierrot, La Colère |
By the late 1880s, with the dawning of la Belle Époque, Pierrot was to meet a new friend, Pierrette, who would vie with Colombine for his affections.
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| SOLD Lily Damita, in a Pierrette-like costume |
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| Jules Chéret, 3rd panel of la Pantomime [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
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| Pablo Picasso, Arlequin a cheval, 1905, [Fair Use] via WikiPaintings |
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| SOLD Pierrot plays the mandolin for his Colombine |
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| SOLD Pierrot and family at a fête |
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| SOLD "Croissants de Lune" |
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| SOLD Pierrot hugging Colombine |
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