“The painter of happiness”
Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a painter of the simple pastimes of life. Renoir was an artist among many thriving painters of his time. Bright colors, beautiful scenes, and blissful people were all comprised throughout his numerous works of art. Pierre-Auguste Renoir was known as one of the most significant impressionist painters of the nineteenth century. He enjoyed what he experienced in the duration of his life and was content bestowing that to the world. In the book The Life and Works of Renoir, by Janice Anderson, Renoir’s objective was said as not to make the viewer think about the painting, simply to just enjoy the pleasures of life. Observing the joys of life, Renoir painted scenes he considered to be pleasurable to the human mind. Renoir was considered to be an Impressionist, taking his views on things and designing vivid images for his audiences to digest. In the book Renoir, by Patrick Bade, Impressionism is defined as depicting how one views things in the world. One of the many notable impressionists of his time, Renoir had many mentors. Renoir These impressionists included, Pissaro, Cezzane, Degas, Monet, Manet, Sisley, and Morisot. Renoir was the youngest of this group of artists. Ironically, these artists were all born in the time span of between 1833 and 1841, Renoir being the youngest (Bade.) These impressionists of the nineteenth century had many similarities including being young of age and from Paris. Renoir was not born in Paris like his fellow impressionists; he was born in Limoges in 1841. When he was four he moved to Paris, considering himself a true Parisian (Bade.)
Renoir was different than his fellow artists in more ways than one. Pierre was the only impressionist of the era that was born into a working-class family. His father was a tailor and his mother was not qualified to do much anything that would produce income for the family. Renoir’s father had to support a family of five on his low income and things were not luxurious for them. Renoir’s paintings were filled with all the simple pleasures of life, reflecting that he appreciated everything that he received. Although Renoir grew up in an area filled with poverty, it proved to be of advantage to him (Bade.) Renoir’s home was not far from sculptures and paintings from Rubens, Vercnese, and Watteau (Bade.) This aspect of his childhood has shown to be an inspiration to Renoir, noting that he did not take anything for granted. Renoir did not let the social status gap affect his success in art. Pierre’s first job in a porcelain factory gave him a firm advantage to learning different brushworks and techniques (Bade.) It inspired him to study art and pursue his interest in life. At the age of 20, Pierre met fellow artist Claude Monet, while attending the Ecole des Beaux Art School under the instructions of Gleyre. Monet and Renoir became close friends sharing a hate for their instructor and coincidentally having similar painting styles. The two would often be in competition with each other however, Renoir proved to use more vibrant colors and a more joyful view on the world. Bade stated that, “Renoir retained a child-like delight in the visible world and in his best work was able to express it to the end of his life.” It was obvious to all that Renoir was a very joyful person. Throughout his works Renoir painted many of “life’s pastimes including eating, dancing, boating, and sex (Bade.) In “Renoir,” Bade shows that although Pierre painted sexual things, he only depicted the beauty of the scene, instead of the frowned-upon view society held. Renoir’s paintings reflected heavily his view of feminism, being very tasteful and respectful to women. Feminism seemed to capture his attention and be his inspiration however, nature for Renoir was a large inspiration. Bade states that he loved to paint nature scenes but never would Renoir paint a scene involving storms or anything foul. “Of all the great masters of Western Art, Renoir is perhaps the most accessible and his art the most easily enjoyed by a broad range of people” (Bade.) Renoir’s paintings could be related to by most because of the fact that they were based on simplicity.This time of Impressionism seemed to be inspired by events taking place throughout the country of France at this time. During the late nineteenth century, Napoleon the third was at reign over France, forcing dramatic and rapid change for the country. This “radical reorganization of the city” inspired the Impressionism era (Bade.) It brought in establishments such as café’s, and beautiful buildings and sculptures. In the year 1870, civil war of Prussia and France was taking place, calling all of the painters of this era into action. Many of the impressionists took in vivid images and real experiences and put them down on canvas. An impressionist of this era, Bazitle did not survive this war. Soon after this war Renoir was diagnosed with Rhuematic Illness. It was a severe case of arthritis throughout his hands. This sickness made it difficult for him to paint. Renoir refused to let this illness keep him from his passion; Renoir taped his brushes to his hands and carried on (Anderson.) This condition however, worsened and he painted his last picture “The Bathers” in 1910.One of Renoir’s paintings that really touched me was the Skiff, painted in 1879. I can relate to this painting because it is a real life scene that reminds me of my childhood. It is so simple and calm. The scene depicted in the Skiff is two ladies on a boat in a river. You can see the vivid colors and intensity of the brushwork. The painting displays Renoir’s view of lovely weather and seasons in Paris. Bade delivers the introduction of the painting pointing out that Renoir used harsh brushwork but somehow made the picture look beautiful. If Monet was to draw this scene it would probably be of less significance using the typical flowing brushwork to depict what he saw. This scene from Renoir’s works reminds me of how I used to sit on the boat with my family on the lake. Time would just drift on by as it seems to be doing in the painting by Renoir. The ladies in the boat are surrounded by other boaters in the water and by houses on the shore. They are in their own world denying the fact that there is a lot going on around them. The house on the shore seems to be big displaying the importance of wealth at the time of Renoir. We are not told if Renoir knew the ladies in the boat but he seems to do a swell job of painting their tones onto the canvas. Renoir was a very optimistic person not being held back by any of the obstacles in his life. He did not live a spectacular life with anything extravagant but he made the best of every situation. Bade stated that “he derived a lifetime’s pleasure from painting and his art has communicated that pleasure to countless other’s since his death.” Renoir’s painting and optimism will continue to inspire artists around the world through his simplicity and joy of his works.Works Cited Page
Anderson, Janice. The Life and Works of Renoir. Great Britain: Parragon Book
Service Limited, 1994.Bade, Patrick. Renoir. New York: Portland House, 1989.
Image One: Google Search Images Keyword: Self Portrait Renoir
http://www.mystudios.com/art/impress/renoir/renoir-self-portrait.jpgNovember 1, 2006Image Two: Google Search Images Keyword: Pierre Auguste Renoir
http://prom2000.zoto.com/img/original/469ea099a8aa8d49556d53852ef2dd7c.jpg
November 1, 2006
Image Three: Google Search Images Keyword: Renoir’s The Skiff
http://www.art-artist.co.uk/impressionist/impress-gifetc/renoir-boating.jpgNovember 1, 2006
