L'œuvre en bref

Painted in 1875, The Skiff depicts a boating scene on the Seine at Chatou, an emblematic spot for the nautical leisure of the nineteenth-century Parisian bourgeoisie. Nicknamed by Auguste Renoir himself the "River of the Impressionists," this stretch of the Seine drew at the time a crowd of painters eager to capture the bustle of Sundays by the water. Rowing, a rapidly expanding sport under the Third Republic, became a favoured subject of Impressionism, passionately explored by Claude Monet, Gustave Caillebotte, and Édouard Manet.

In the foreground, a bright orange skiff glides over the water, occupied by two young women dressed in white; one is rowing while the other lets herself be carried along, her parasol resting beside her. The striking contrast between the warm orange of the boat and the deep blue of the river constitutes the chromatic tour de force of the canvas, perfectly illustrating the theory of complementary colours so dear to the Impressionists. On the opposite bank, an elegant white villa, a triangular sail, and a few distant figures can be glimpsed. Renoir treats the surface of the water with a multitude of small juxtaposed brushstrokes, blues, whites, yellows, and orange touches reflecting the hull, creating a shimmering vibration of great virtuosity. This capturing of light on the water, heir to the explorations carried out at La Grenouillère, attests to the absolute mastery with which Renoir was able to convey the luminous joy of a summer day on the banks of the Seine.

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