Artwork
Acrobats at the Cirque Fernando (Francisca and Angelina Wartenberg)
Acrobats at the Cirque Fernando (Francisca and Angelina Wartenberg) is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir. It dates from 1879 and is held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
- Accession no.
- 81558
- Credit line
- Potter Palmer Collection
About this work
Overview
Acrobats at the Cirque Fernando is an oil on canvas painting by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, capturing a lively circus scene in late 19th-century Paris. The work focuses on two acrobat sisters, Francisca and Angelina Wartenberg, in the midst of their performance.
Subject & Meaning
The painting portrays the sisters taking their bows after an act, one acknowledging the crowd and the other facing the viewer with a bouquet of oranges, a symbol of audience appreciation. Renoir emphasized the joyful and innocent aspects of the scene, downplaying the presence of potentially predatory men in the audience.
Technique & Style
Renoir employed his characteristic warm color palette, enveloping the subjects in soft pinks, oranges, yellows, and whites. To avoid the harsh effects of gas lighting, he painted the sisters in his studio, using daylight to capture their features gently.
History & Provenance
The sisters, aged 17 and 14 at the time, were depicted as younger than their actual ages. The painting reflects Renoir's philosophy of creating 'likeable, joyous, and pretty' art, eschewing life's ugliness.
Context
Set against the popular Parisian entertainment of the late 19th century, the painting touches on the dual nature of circus life: a venue for family joy and also for less savory male pursuits, subtly alluded to by the dark-suited men in the background.
Legacy
Acrobats at the Cirque Fernando exemplifies Renoir's Impressionist approach to capturing modern life's pleasures, with a focus on light, color, and the beauty of everyday moments, influencing the depiction of joyful, contemporary scenes in art.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style.
