Luncheon of the Boating Party

Vreeland is renowned for her accessible, vibrant novels based on historical fact about the creation of major works of art. To her portraits of Vermeer (Girl in Hyacinth Blue) and Artemisia Gentileschi (The Passion of Artemisia), she adds the engrossing story of Auguste Renoir’s masterpiece, Luncheon of the Boating Party.

After Emile Zola criticized the Impressionists for failing to produce a “masterpiece”, Renoir was inspired to paint a work embodying “la vie moderne”. He persuaded a combination of friends, lovers and professional models to meet on eight consecutive Sundays at a café along the Seine popular with the boating crowd. The enormous painting used a casual setting to express group dynamics.

This portrait of the artistic process is a fascinating study of the tensions within the Impressionist movement, the artistic challenges Renoir overcame and the rapidly changing society of France. It will have particular appeal for readers who enjoyed Girl With a Pearl Earring.

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