Dancing Girl with Tambourine
- Artist: Pierre-Auguste Renoir
- Date: 1909
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is the "Dancing Girl with Tambourine" by Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Painted in 1909, it's an oil on canvas that showcases the artist's ability to capture the beauty of everyday life.
Notice how the dancing girl stands with her weight slightly on her back foot, focused on tapping out the rhythm on her tambourine. Her pose is more static compared to her counterpart who dances with castanets. Renoir used Georgette Pigeot, a dressmaker and frequent model, as inspiration for this figure.
The flowing costume shimmers with colour, featuring elements of oriental or near-Eastern style. The short, gold-coloured bodice and blue and gold slippers are just a few examples of the exotic fashion trends that were popular in Paris around this time. In fact, these loose trousers tied above the ankle became a fashionable trend in Paris during this period.
Renoir's use of colour and composition creates a lively atmosphere, drawing the viewer into the scene. The overall effect is one of joy and freedom, as if the dancing girl is lost in her own world of music and movement.
See it in person
Dancing Girl with Tambourine hangs in The National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
