雅思听力材料：雷诺阿-煎饼磨坊的舞会(BBC纪录片)

　　Bal du moulin de la Galette

　　Bal du moulin de la Galette is an 1876 painting by French artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir. It is housed at the Muse dOrsay in Paris and is one of Impressionisms most celebrated masterpieces. The painting depicts a typical Sunday afternoon atMoulin de la Galette in the district of Montmartre in Paris. In the late 19th century, working class Parisians would dress up and spend time there dancing, drinking, and eating galettes into the evening.

　　Like other works of Renoirs early maturity, Bal du moulin de la Galette is a typically Impressionist snapshot of real life. It shows a richness of form, a fluidity of brush stroke, and a flickering light.

　　From 1879 to 1894 the painting was in the collection of the French painter Gustave Caillebotte; when he died it became the property of the French Republic as payment for death duties. From 1896 to 1929 the painting hung in the Muse du Luxembourg in Paris. From 1929 it hung in the Muse du Louvre until it was transferred to the Muse dOrsay in 1986.

　　Smaller version

　　Renoir painted a smaller version of the picture with the same title. This painting is in a private collection.

　　For many years it was owned by John Hay Whitney. On May 17, 1990, his widow sold the painting for US$78 million at Sothebys in New York City to Ryoei Saito , the honorary chairman of Daishowa Paper Manufacturing Company, Japan.

　　At the time of sale, it was one of the top two most expensive artworks ever sold, together with van Goghs Portrait of Dr. Gachet, which was also purchased by Saito. Saito caused international outrage when he suggested in 1991 that he intended to cremate both paintings with him when he died. However, when Saito and his companies ran into severe financial difficulties, bankers who held the painting as collateral for loans arranged a confidential sale through Sothebys to an undisclosed buyer. Although not known for certain, the painting is believed to be in the hands of aSwiss collector.

　　As of December 2011 the Bal du moulin de la Galette is fifth on the list of most expensive paintingsever sold.

　　作者简介：

　　Pierre-Auguste Renoir

　　Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty, and especially feminine sensuality, it has been said that Renoir is the final representative of a tradition which runs directly from Rubens to Watteau.

　　Pierre-Auguste was the father of actor Pierre Renoir and filmmaker Jean Renoir.