Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a leading artist of the Impressionist movement. He was born in Limoges, Frances and began as an apprentice and porcelain painter and studied drawing in his free time. He initially struggled as a painter, but later helped launch Impressionism in the 1870s and was one of the most famous artists of the movement.
Renoir came from a humble family and moved to Paris sometime between 1844 and 1846 and lived near the Louvre. Renoir became interested in art as a teenager and focused on porcelain although he also took free drawing classes at a city-sponsored art school, which was run by sculptor Louis-Denic Caillouette. When Renoir was nineteen, he started studying other artists’ work at the Louvre. He enrolled in the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in 1862, which was a famous art school. Renoir also became a student of Charles Gleyre, and at his studio he befriended three other young artist: Frederic, Claude Monet, and Alfred Sisley. And through Monet, he met other talented artists such as Camille Pissarro and Paul Cezanne.
In 1864, Renoir was accepted to the annual Paris Salon exhibit. He showed his painting “La Esmeralda”, inspired by Hugo’s Notre-Dame de Paris, and then displayed a portrait of William Sisley, who was the father of his friend Alfred Sisley. With his works shown in the salon, Renoir’s profile as artist grew, yet still he had troubles with making a living. He was always looking for commissions for portraits and depended on friends and mentors, sometimes staying at their studios or homes.
In 1867, Renoir met seamstress Lise Trehot, who became his model. They became romantically involved and had a child although Renoir never publicly acknowledged his daughter. Renoir took a break in his work in 1870 since he was drafted in the army, but became ill so he never saw any action during the war.
In 1874, Renoir along with his friends, Pissarro, Monet, Cezanne and Degas decided to show their works on their own which became known as the first Impressionist exhibition. The name of the movement derived from the critics’ review, where they called their works “impressions” rather than traditional finished paintings. Another notable feature were the brighter colours they used and different types of brushstrokes.
Renoir died in 1919’s and his work would later inspire other artists such as Matisse and Picasso.
Down Below is a famous painting of Renoir’s which also happens to be a favourite of mine. Most of all, I like his handling of light and shadow, and the way he creates a lively atmosphere which looks typical of a warm, sunny day. I like the subject matter and the way details diminish and fade into the background. Overall, it is the bright colours and warmer tones which I like the most and this is something that is exhibited in impressionistic paintings.
Here’s another work of his that I like, Woman with a Parasol. As you can see, the two figures in the painting are done in a simplified, abstract manner. Again, this piece has a Summer feel to it because of the bright, warm colours, and this is something that I wish to achieve in my own painting.
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