Description
The Bay of Naples is an 1881 painting by Auguste Renoir, looking out over the harbor from a balcony. A corner of the balcony anchors the lower left, while the water opens toward Mount Vesuvius in the distance. The elevated viewpoint joins the intimacy of a particular place with the breadth of the bay.
Southern Italian light was central to Renoir’s interest in the scene; he painted another version of the vista at a different time of day. Here, gentle shifts of blue, mauve and warm earth color carry the eye across the water toward the horizon, while smoke from the volcano adds a delicate movement to the sky. The Bay of Naples captures both an identifiable landscape and the atmosphere of a moment spent looking, giving the expansive view a personal, attentive character.
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