It is hard not to discuss the Impressionism movement of the 19th century and not make mention one of its most famous artists, Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
As one of the pioneers of the movement, Renoir showed the beauty of everyday life and how art and the real world could blend together on the canvas.
Renoir lived a full life, reaching the ripe old age of 78 before he died. It is hard to overstate how much of an impact his work had on the art community, both during his time and beyond.
Pierre Auguste Renoir was born in Limoges, Haute-Vienne, France, in 1841. He was one of seven children.
Renoir was born to a working-class family.
When he was four years old, they all moved to Paris so his father, Leonard, could find more work opportunities.
Renoir’s artistic talents developed quickly, and those around him could tell that he was adept at painting (although singing was another passion of his).
When he was 13, Renoir began an apprenticeship at a porcelain factory.
Part of his work was painting floral patterns on plates and other products, including fine China.
In addition to painting porcelain, he also painted ceiling fans and cloth panels for missionaries to take on their journeys abroad.
In 1858, the factory switched to machine processing, resulting in Renoir being out of employment.
He would enroll in art classes at École des Beaux-Arts to develop his talents further and discover where they would take him.
In 1862, Renoir started studying under Charles Gleyre, a Swiss painter of some note.
While Renoir’s artistic style did not mimic Gleyre’s, he did learn discipline.
This allowed him to focus on painting and refine his artwork to be more professional.
During this time, Renoir would meet other contemporary artists, including Claude Monet, Alfred Sisley, and Frédéric Bazille.
Renoir developed rheumatoid arthritis in 1892, which severely hindered his ability to paint.
Nonetheless, he persevered and continued painting well into his twilight years, although he required more assistance as his condition worsened.
Renoir had the opportunity to work with pottery once again and it was as if he was calling back to his early days making porcelain in Paris. His life had made a full circle.
Pierre Auguste Renoir died at Cagnes-sur-Mer in December 1919 at the age of 78.
During his time at school, Renoir and his contemporaries sought to break free from the traditional artistic means of expression and were eager to branch out and explore new techniques and concepts .
Impressionism captures subjects within their scene as a moment in time, illustrating how each component of the scene would blend to create something more profound.
Light plays a critical element in Impressionism, as artists like Renoir wanted to show how the light of the moment affected everything within the frame.
Interestingly, Renoir’s first exhibition in 1864 was not remarkably successful. France was at war with Prussia, and it was hard for artists like him to gain notoriety.
Additionally, the art community mostly derided the movement, although Renoir was something of an exception. Many critics and attendees preferred his work over others at the show.
It would take another ten years before the first official Impressionism exhibition in 1874.
It was not until 1868 that Renoir would slowly begin to emerge as a popular figure.
The Paris Salon often highlighted the works of students who attended École des Beaux-Arts. This exhibition featured ‘Lise with a Parasol,’ depicted Renoir’s lover Lise Trehot in a white muslin dress with a small parasol to block the sunlight.
In 1874, Renoir’s art took a dramatic turn when Renoir learned he was no longer able to stay at a friend’s estate in Fontainebleau. Without access to such serene natural settings, Renoir was afraid his art would suffer if he could not find inspiration elsewhere.
At the second Impressionism exhibition of 1876, Renoir displayed many portraits, as he hoped he could make money as a skilled portrait artist. He also displayed various works at the third exhibition but not subsequent showings. After the third exhibition, he would resume his partnership with the Paris Salon.
By the end of the 1870s, Renoir was an established painter. The success he found in his career allowed him more freedom and flexibility to stretch his legs and visit other parts of the world.
In 1881, he visited Algeria, Spain, and Italy to see other contemporary artists and gather inspiration for new pieces. In 1883, he stayed on the isle of Guernsey in the English Channel over the summer, creating 15 paintings in about a month.
Throughout the 1880s, Renoir painted a variety of scenes. Some of his art included landscapes, parties, social gatherings, and more.
In 1890, he married a dressmaker named Aline Victorine Charigot, with whom he had already had a child in 1885. After the marriage, Renoir’s work turned more insular, with more focus on his wife and family.
The pair had three sons, Pierre, Jean, and Claude Renoir.
As such a prolific painter, Renoir’s work has permeated art culture and served as a time capsule of the period in which he lived.
Renoir was one of the few lucky artists who were appreciated in his time, meaning he understood the value of his work and what it meant to others.
Later in his life, he would visit the Louvre and see his paintings displayed alongside the Old Masters. Seeing his art in the Louvre illustrated to him just how important his work was in the grander scheme.
It is easy to look at Renoir’s artwork and say that they are just “pretty” to look at. Upon closer inspection, the meaning behind his works becomes clear when it is on full display.
As one such critic, Albert Aurier, remarked in 1892, “With such ideas, with such a vision of the world and of femininity, one might have feared that Renoir would create a work which was merely pretty and merely superficial. Superficial it was not; in fact, it was profound, for if, indeed, the artist has completely done away with the intellectuality of his models in his paintings, he has, in compensation, been prodigal with his own.”
A woman posing in the nude was one of Renoir’s favorite subjects.
This piece is an etching of a naked woman sitting with a cloth or sheet wrapped around her legs. The etching does not go into significant detail, instead, it focuses on the curvature of her body, hair, and face.
Here we have another nude etching of a young girl who is sitting slouched within the frame.
Renoir only rendered the top half of her body. This is typical of Renoirs style and commonly found in his other art as well. He preferred to focus on the curved lines of his subject’s features rather than filling in minute details.
This oil painting of a young girl exemplifies Renoir’s style. She is wearing a modest green and white dress. Her expression, as she looks directly at the viewer, is intense yet subtle.
The lithograph is a depiction of a mother with her two young children. This piece focuses mostly only on their heads, and faintly outlines the image of a mother’s embrace.
If you are looking for artwork by Pierre Auguste Renoir, call us now at 267-687-8378 or leave an inquiry on Dane Fine Art. We are happy to help you find the artwork you are looking for. Explore more art and artists with Dane Fine Art.
Showroom
2320 Haverford Road
Ardmore PA 19003
Showroom
2320 Haverford Road
Ardmore PA 19003
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