"Renoir Sucks at Painting"

[octoberlib]

A new movement born of an Instagram account has one central complaint: Pierre-Auguste Renoir - the French impressionist – was a terrible artist, and his paintings should be removed from museums.Holding signs that said “ReNOir”, “Take ’em down! Renoir Sucks” and “God Hates Renoir”, members of the Renoir Sucks at Painting movement protested outside the Museum of Fine
Arts in Boston on Monday. The group, led by organizer Max Geller, demanded the museum remove Renoir paintings – of which there are many, including the famous Dance at Boufival, 1883 – from its walls.


The Renoir Sucks at Painting movement was inspired after Geller visited the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, which houses a large collection of Renoir paintings, or, as Geller called them, “empty calorie-laden steaming piles”.



The Instagram account has more than 2,400 followers, and has even received the wrath of Genevieve Renoir, who says she is the painter’s great-great-granddaughter. On one photo, Genevieve commented: “When your great-great-grandfather paints anything worth $78.1m dollars … then you can criticize. In the meantime, it is safe to say that the free market has spoken and Renoir did not suck at painting.”

Geller, who turned her comment into its own post on the account, said: “I think that is one of the most absurd and insane arguments for anything, the idea that we should let the free market dictate quality.” He replied to Genevieve on Instagram with a list of items that have “been unleashed upon us by the free market”, and, like Renoir, “decidedly suck”, including climate change, the prison industrial complex, slavery, settler colonialism, the destruction of sea otter habitats and TV commercials.




http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/oct/06/renoir-sucks-at-painting-protest-boston-max-geller

[joeybee12]

1. This, my friends, is genius...

They're at the Louvre...incredible to see in person.



One has to wonder if these people are serious, and if they are, don't they have jobs?

[valerief]

2. Teabaggers with lotsa free time? nt

[joeybee12]

4. Reminds me of Westboro Church...God Hates renoir...nt

[valerief]

6. I wonder what they think of the films of Renoir's son, Jean.

Grand Illusion, bah!
The Rules of the Game, phffft!
The River, puleaze!

[joeybee12]

10. The Rules of the Game is WONDERFUL!

I love that movie!

[valerief]

12. Ha! I haven't seen it in a long time. I should watch it again. nt

[CBGLuthier]

31. I was always fascinated by the fact that a great painters son was a great director

Like a true straight line connection between the old arts and the new.

[underpants]

33. Meant to post this yesterday. Best I can tell he is not a teabagger

A political activist with some connection to Norteastern U concentrated in universal health care. Can't find any relation to Pam Geller, at least I can't. I thought that I read that he was anti-Isreal but one of his complaints about Renoir was that he was anti-Semitic so I guess not.

This appears to be Max Geller's way of blowing off steam.

[octoberlib]

3. I thought the article was funny when I read it.

I can think of a lot of things to protest about but Renoir isn't one of them.

[joeybee12]

5. It does make you think they're just doing it as a lark...

Of all the things to get worked up about...

[Bradical79]

9. I assume it's some sort of performance art

or a social experiment.

[joeybee12]

11. That mnakes more sense than actually hating such brilliance...nt

[Eleanors38]

37. Sounds old-hat: tRump has him beat by a mile. Next? Monet! Lo-o-o-oser.

[Generic Other]

7. ISIS is recruiting

losers like this.

[katmondoo]

8. I saw Renoir's paintings at the Barnes Foundation

If you studied his paintings you would be amazed at how he blended his colors especially women's skin tones. I paint but no way could I come close to his genius. The scale and composition were beautiful. The women in those days were plump so that was how he painted them. The whole exhibit was wonderful and I thank my son for taking me there.

[closeupready]

13. Renoir's never been one of my favorites, but who is Max Geller?

Pamela's husband or something?

And why does the Guardian think we should give a shit what he thinks?

[underpants]

34. What I've been able to find on him

A political activist with some connection to Norteastern U concentrated in universal health care. Can't find any relation to Pam Geller, at least I can't. I thought that I read that he was anti-Isreal but one of his complaints about Renoir was that he was anti-Semitic so I guess not.

This appears to be Max Geller's way of blowing off steam.

[tblue37]

14. Um, no. Some of his work is flawed (proportions are off in a few), but, well, see for yourself:

[octoberlib]

17. Those are beautiful.

[tblue37]

19. Renoir = So much beauty in color and light effects:

?w=1050&h=&crop=1

[tblue37]

18. Flowers:

?w=1050&h=&crop=1

[dhill926]

21. in paintings 3 and 4...

the bearded guy with the hat seems to be the same guy. Could this possibly be kind of self-referential? Anybody out there smarter than me know about this? Thanks in advance...

[CTyankee]

15. At the MFA in Boston?!

Holy shit!

That is one of the most wonderful art museums in the country!! I LOVE the MFA!

The MFA has fabulous exhibits and great lectures by art experts. I enjoy them when I go to Boston to see my daughter. We have a terrific time.

I would think that Boston is OUTRAGED by this. They LOVE their MFA...jeez...get me a xanax...sheesh...

[octoberlib]

16. I think this has got to be a stunt.

[CTyankee]

20. well, it disgusting if it is. Jeebus...

[Monk06]

24. Geller is an agit prop anti Zionist who fashions himself a political organizer. I'm guessing he

knows little and cares less about Expressionist painting except the dogmatic feminist critique of French painting which he appears to have swallowed whole, head to foot shoes and all.

He is just doing this as part of a second rate Situationist happening to draw attention to his anti Israel projects.

I don't think he cares about art at all.

[PassingFair]

42. And a very funny one.

Got several chuckles out of me.

[smirkymonkey]

22. Of all the stupid things to get worked up over!

God, get a life people. Or at least go out and protest something that is actually worthwhile. Geeze!

[CTyankee]

23. I hope you didn't mean to direct that at me...

[smirkymonkey]

43. No, no!! Not at all! I mean the protesters!

Sorry if it came off that way. I just think they are idiots for protesting art that they don't like instead of something that really has a negative effect on people's lives.

So sorry if you thought that was directed at you. I will choose my words more carefully next time! I love your posts!

[CTyankee]

45. Oh, good! I'm relieved. Thanks so much...

[el_bryanto]

25. This is more interesting than I thought it would be; Geller is a troll, but the argument he's making

is one that resonates on some level. We live in an age of the democratization of opinion, which has been decried by people on both the left and the right. Basically anybody who can get access to the internet can express an opinion regardless of qualifications. And in many cases those opinions are taken seriously. With Twitter you don't even have to be particularly articulate - just pithy.

Who decides what opinions in a society are worth listening too?

Bryant

[randome]

26. Agree. Another point to be made is that Renoir uses too much color.

I disagree that his paintings are awful but I could see someone disliking them in the same way they dislike Thomas Kinkade's stuff.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]"If you're bored then you're boring." -Harvey Danger[/center][/font][hr]

[COLGATE4]

30. "Renoir uses too much color"

Reminds me of the line from Amadeus where the Austrian King tells Mozart that, while his music is fine, it "just has too many notes".

[CBGLuthier]

32. +1000 for an excellent reference.

[brush]

35. YES!

What a silly critique. Life must have too much color as well.

[Eleanors38]

38. Impressionism: A beautiful, sunny day after a 2 bottles of wine. YEA!

[Eleanors38]

41. ^^^ So noted.

[Eleanors38]

40. That innertube approach is getting dated, like bellbottoms...

Surprised this bathroom scrawler doesn't see that. Like Steve Marche said in Esquire, soon the best web sites (or whatever) will edit.

Too much crap, and old repetitive crap-syle at that.

[Deadshot]

27. What makes a great painting?

That's my first question.

[BeyondGeography]

29. Technique plus insight into the human condition

Renoir clearly had it:

[raouldukelives]

28. Zippity Dada. nt

[MisterP]

36. all art must show no influence of the painter and focus only on uplifying the peasants!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhdanov_Doctrine

[Eleanors38]

39. "The unbearably handsome face of a Nazi youth..."

[Bucky]

44. Max Geller is not making a good Impression on me

if he wants to point a list of better painters out to us, it would be more constructive. But I would want him to really think about who these better painters are, and not just name off a few impasto.