Renoir's ball at the Pancake Mill

Renoir's Ball at the Pancake Mill, created in 1876, was renoir's most important work of this period and was exhibited at the Third Impressionist Exhibition in 1877 and was well received. It is currently in the collection of the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, France.

Renoir excelled at depicting leisurely and comfortable life times and cheerful and bright figures, and this style of painting is epitomized in this work. At that time, Paris was full of pastime and extravagance, and on holidays, both the upper nobility and the working class would dress up and dance and drink in the bar transformed from a pancake mill until late at night. Renoir recorded a scene of people's revelry, like a snapshot, the characters in the picture showed bright smiles, and the joy of the heart and the love of life were fully revealed. Sunlight pours down through the treetops to create a mottled mix of light and shadow, and the flickering light surrounds people, only the details can be seen by the characters in the foreground, while the characters in the middle and far views are gradually hidden, leaving only traces of rotation and movement during dancing. Vibrant brushstrokes give the picture a sketching beauty.