Small Study for a Nude

1880

Meeting Aline Charigot

Renoir met the young seamstress Aline Charigot — his future wife. His happiness with her colored the works of his so-called "Ingres" period.

1881

Algeria, Madrid, Italy

Renoir traveled to Algeria, the land of Delacroix, then to Madrid to see the works of Velázquez, and to Italy, where he saw Titian in Florence and Raphael in Rome. The journey convinced him that with Impressionism he had "reached the limit," and turned him toward classicism.

6 juillet 1881

Daughter born: Lucienne Bisson

1882

Pneumonia

Renoir suffered a bout of pneumonia that permanently damaged his respiratory system, and spent six weeks convalescing in Algeria.

15 January 1882

Portrait of Wagner in 35 minutes

In Palermo Renoir met the composer Richard Wagner and painted his portrait in just thirty-five minutes.

1883–1890

The "Ingres" period

Impressed by the classics of the Italian Renaissance and by Ingres, Renoir effectively broke with Impressionism: his lines became crisp, his colors more restrained and cooler. The artist himself called this period "sour"; it includes "Dance in the Country," "Dance in the City" and "Dance at Bougival."