Luncheon of the Boating Party

by Susan Vreeland

Genres: Biographical; Historical Fiction; Literary Fiction

Synopsis

Bestselling author Susan Vreeland returns with a vivid exploration of one of the most beloved paintings in the world, Renoir's Luncheon of the Boating Party.

Instantly recognizable, Auguste Renoir's masterpiece depicts a gathering of his friends enjoying a summer Sunday on a café terrace along the Seine near Paris. An art collector, an Italian journalist, a war hero, a wealthy painter, a celebrated actress, and Renoir's future wife, among others, share this moment of la vie moderne, a time when social constraints were loosening and Paris was healing after the Franco-Prussian War. Parisians were bursting with a desire for pleasure and a yearning to create something extraordinary out of life. Renoir shared these urges and took on this most challenging project at a time of personal crises in art and love, all the while facing issues of loyalty and the diverging styles that were tearing apart the Impressionist group. Narrated by Renoir and seven of the models, and using settings in Paris and on the Seine, Vreeland illuminates the gusto, hedonism, and art of the era. With a gorgeous palette of vibrant, captivating characters, she paints their lives, loves, losses, and triumphs in a brilliant portrait of her own.

Release date: May 3, 2007

Publisher: Penguin Books

Print pages: 448