Strike a pose! Renoir-selfie photo booth opens this weekend

To celebrate Renoir’s summer in Guernsey committee members of the Skipton Art Festival have created a Renoiresque seascape ‘photo booth’ for this year’s interactive installation.

Islanders visiting the Skipton Art Festival Exhibitions on Friday and Saturday will find a life sized bathing scene as part of the Island Life Exhibition. Festival goers are encouraged to dress up in the period costumes provided and bring the 19^th century into the 21^st as they take a Renoiresque selfie.

Vivien Ferneyhough, Joint Coordinator and Deputy Chair of the Guernsey Art Network, painted the scene after being inspired by Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s paintings of Guernsey. Mrs Ferneyhough said: “I created the Skipton Art Festival Renoiresque Bathing Scene by combining two of Renoir’s paintings of Moulin Huet Bay. When Renoir visited Guernsey in 1883 he painted around 15 different views of Moulin Huet Bay. I hope I have done his artistic talent justice and produced a worthy homage.”

Renoir visited the Island with a group of friends in the summer of 1883 and stayed at the top of Moulin Huet Bay. His small paintings and sketches produced during his time in Guernsey show that this was a period of change for the artist as his paintings moved away from his traditional impressionist style into a more classical style.

Aaron Walden, Commercial Manager, Skipton International, said: “The Skipton Art Festival interactive installation is great fun and it’s lovely to see adults and children getting involved. Renoir is arguably the greatest artist to visit Guernsey so it seemed fitting to bring Renoir’s Moulin Huet Bay scenes to life as part of the Skipton Art Festival Island life theme.”

The Skipton Art Festival runs until the end of August. Located in the Inner Street Market Buildings there is a piece of artwork to suit everyone’s taste including this year’s winner, ‘Here’s Looking at Moo’ a watercolour of a Guernsey cow painted by Sharmane Dodd.