Pierre-Auguste Renoir:
Superb French Impressionist, Part IV
by
Fine Art Registry®
Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919)
Without doubt the most well known pioneers of the French Impressionist movement was born in Limoges, Haute-Vienne, France in 1841. Auguste Renoir, in direct contrast to many of his fellow Impressionist artists, was born into a working class family and began by laboring in a porcelain factory as a boy. His drawing talents resulted in painting intricate designs on fine china. Unlike Edourd Manet and Berthe Moriset, his contemporaries who had the advantage of wealthy families, Auguste traveled a more arduous path to success. Before enrolling in art school he painted hangings and decorations on fans. During the 1860's he didn't have enough money to purchase paint and did not begin to exhibit his paintings in Paris Salons until 1864. Acknowledgment of his work was not fully appreciated for another 10 years ostensibly due to the chaos of the Franco-Prussian conflict.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
(Courtesy of Wikipedia)
Renoir's compositions radiate a sense of exuberance and well-being. He was charmed by children and delighted in painting them. His stunning portrait of a young girl entitled Girl With A Hoop (1885) is a vivid example of his belief of portraying the radiance of innocence. Middle class manners and styles were his hallmark. He became very successful painting portraits and remained more traditional than Monet. His enchantment with portraying the human figure set him apart from the intent of plein-air painting embraced by other artists of the Impressionist movement.
Girl With A Hoop (1885) by Renoir
(Courtesy of Wikipedia)
In the 1860's Auguste worked closely with Claude Monet (1840-1926) both creating scenes of fashionable river resorts and lively views of the city of Paris. Renoir seemed to have a more unyielding nature than Monet. Concentration on the ever-changing patterns of nature was the focus of Monet's compositions, while Renoir's was engrossed by people, friends and lovers which his artwork reflected beautifully. His early works mirrored a scintillating brightness, openly satisfying and responsive that only enhanced the effects of his use of natural sunlight in his paintings.
In 1890 Auguste married Aline Victorine Charigot, who happened to be one of the models that posed for Luncheon of the Boating Party, along with many of his artist friends. He fathered a child Pierre (1885) with Aline previous to their marriage. His delight and focus became portraying family and friends in his lively compositions. The Renoir's ultimately had 3 sons, Pierre became a stage and film actor and Jean became a filmmaker of note.
Luncheon of the Boating Party (1880-1881) by Renoir
(Courtesy of Wikipedia)
Intimate scenes of the French middle class at leisure including picnics in the country, or at Paris cafes and concerts seemed to be Renoir's forte and he had the enviable capability of capturing their beauty and charm. His ability to encapsulate everyday life by not going deep into a particular subject but grasps the substance of what he sees and transfers to canvas scenes that evoke pleasure from the spectator.
Early in the 1880's Renoir experienced a professional crisis. For three years he refused to exhibit his work with fellow Impressionists. He began searching for art from the past. On a trip to Italy he fell under the spell of traditionalist painter Raphael and was deeply influenced by paintings and sculptures of the ancient city of Pompey. His epiphany resulted in the belief that the Impressionist practice of painting directly from nature led to the dissolution of form. While less than enthusiastically accepted, it marked a major deflection from existing aesthetics of Impressionism. Ultimately his focus turned to the female nude as one of his primary subjects. Freely brushed strokes of color suggest scenes where the figure softly blends with the surroundings. Vibrant colors permeate the scene and only enhance the figure that is so intimately and tastefully displayed as in Diana the Huntress.
Diana the Huntress (1867) by Renoir
(Courtesy of Wikipedia)
Poor health blemished Renoir's maturity. In the summer of 1897 he fell from his bicycle resulting in a broken right arm which aggravated his arthritis that in 1902 severely affected him, restricting his painting. Intense pain was caused by rheumatism and problems with partial deterioration of the nerve in his left eye. In 1910 he was confined to a wheelchair. His disease caused his hands to become grossly deformed. In order to relieve the pain, chafing bandages were bound about his hands in order to assist him as he attempted to hold a paintbrush. Living in a mild dry climate seemed to give him partial relief from the excruciating pain he suffered, leading to the purchase of a home and studio in the South of France.
Auguste Renoir passed away on December 3, 1919. His illness was not the primary cause of death, he died of a heart attack with Jean and Claude at his side. He bequeathed his estate, valued at five million francs, to his three sons.
Prolific adequately describes Auguste Renoir's body of work. Several thousand paintings of which are the most well-known and frequently reproduced works in the history of art. Superb, in every sense of the word, portrays Pierre-Auguste Renoir's accomplishments.
— by Fine Art Registry®
| February 1, 2010
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