The Encyclopedia of Pierre-Auguste Renoir Paintings
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a painter from France. Born in 1841, he is highly regarded as one of the most influential painters of all time. In particular, his work is associated with the impressionist style, which was starting to become popular at the time. Renoir’s father was a tailor, and since the family lived in a relatively small town, they actually relocated to Paris in order to find better business prospects and more customers.
Renoir was always a talented artist, but he really loved to sing, so much so that initially, he wanted to become a professional singer and attended choir lessons. However, the family simply did not have the means for Renoir to continue to study music. At the young age of 13, Renoir also needed to leave school because he needed to pitch in and provide for the family, contributing financially by working in a porcelain factory. The young artist was very skilled at what he did, but at the same time, he didn’t feel exactly passionate about it.
For this reason, you would often visit the Louvre museum as a way to escape from his routine. Thankfully, the owner of the factory where Renoir worked noticed that the youngster was uncommonly talented. He promptly talked to his family and encouraged them to allow the young Renoir to continue his studies. This is when he eventually enrolled in the local Academy of fine arts.
Those formative years were particularly important for Renoir, who had the opportunity to study under some of the most influential artists in the community, as well as meeting people who would become very influential themselves, including Claude Monet. He became particularly close with the laughter and a smaller community of innovative painters, which eventually paved the way for the impressionist movement in Paris.
Renoir and other artists banded together in order to create an exhibition that would go on to become extremely influential for generations to come. Initially, the critical response was not favorable, but eventually, Renoir’s work became highly regarded and appreciated, especially by following generations.
Renoir focused on a wide range of subjects, but he created many portraits because this was a great way to try and entice commissions from buyers. Later, Renoir allowed his many travels to influence his style. He visited Algeria, Spain, Italy, and many other places. One of the hallmarks of Renoir’s style is perhaps the way he uses color and light in his compositions. His paintings are always very vibrant, and there is a very dimensional look defining his paintings. To this day, his work is extremely popular. Many people choose to buy prints, reproductions, oil painting replicas, and more in order to have a piece of Renoir in their homes or any other space. Some of his most notable works include Two Sisters (On The Terrace), Portrait of Irène Cahen D’Anvers, Blonde Bather, Girls at the Piano, La Grenouillere, A portrait of Alfred Sisley, Pont-Neuf, La Parisienne, A portrait of Claude Monet, A Girl with a Watering Can, The Grands Boulevards, Mother and Children, and more.