The artwork “The Judgment of Paris” by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, created between 1913 and 1914, exemplifies the Impressionist movement through its use of oil on canvas. This mythological painting is housed at the Hiroshima Museum of Art in Hiroshima, Japan. The painting captures a classic moment from Greco-Roman mythology with a style that is characteristic of Renoir’s later work.
The artwork depicts the mythological scene of the Judgment of Paris, an event that ultimately led to the Trojan War. The central figure in this narrative is Paris, the prince of Troy, who is depicted kneeling on the left-hand side of the painting. Above him flutters a figure representing the goddess of Discord, identifiable by the fluttering drapery and the portrayal of movement. She precipitated the contest by offering a golden apple inscribed with the words “To the fairest”—a prize Paris is tasked with awarding.
To his right stand three nude goddesses, each embodying ideals of classical beauty as interpreted by Renoir: Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. These deities are, respectively, the queen of the gods, the goddess of wisdom and warfare, and the goddess of love and beauty. Each is rendered with soft, swirling brushstrokes that emphasize the sensuous curves of their figures—a hallmark of Renoir’s style. The goddesses’ poses and expressions convey a certain serenity and grace, indicative of their divine status.
The background is flush with the loose, almost hazy application of paint, typical of Impressionism, which provides a dreamlike quality to the landscape, placing the emphasis on the figures in the foreground. The blend of colors and the dappled light effects create a sense of immediacy and fleeting beauty, underlining the temporal nature of the scene. Renoir’s interpretation of this mythological subject is both a tribute to classical themes and a demonstration of his unique painterly approach, which prioritizes color, light, and the vibrancy of the painted surface.
