Pierre-Auguste Renoir

"Why shouldn't art be pretty? There are enough unpleasant things in the world."~ Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

In the village of Cagnes-sur-mer, France in the Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, Pierre-Auguste Renoir died on the 3rd of December, 1919 at the age of 78. During his lifetime he had many supporters and followers, and it was clear that being an artist was not just an occupation to him, but a way of life. REWIND. An exceptionally talented baby was born on February 25, 1841 in Limoges, France. This beautifully artistic baby was named Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

During his lifetime, Renoir’s biggest supporters were his family. In 1890, Pierre-Auguste Renoir married his longtime girlfriend Aline Victoria Charigot. She served as a model for Renoir in his painting Les Dejeuner des Canotiers (Luncheon of the Boating Party). Just like most artists, it was said that Renoir had a romantic affair with a seamstress that soon became his model around 1867, her name was Lise Trehot. It was said that she had given birth to his first child Jeanne in 1870.Wether this statement was true or not, Renoir never publicly regarded his supposed first child during his lifetime. Nevertheless, Renoir had his first legal child Pierre in 1885, his second son Jean in 1894 and his final son Claude in 1901, with his beloved wife Aline. Eventually, Jean became a successful filmmaker of note and Pierre became an efficacious stage and film actor. Throughout his lifetime, Renoir painted many works of his wife and his daily family life, including his children and nurse; Gabrielle Renard, Aline’s dear cousin.

Other than his family, Renoir was influenced by many different people. Early in his career, he was an apprentice to a porcelain painter, and under his guidance, learned...

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... the vivacious flamboyant and saturated colors he used, but also particularly admired because of his talent to beautifully unite the figures with each other and their surroundings. In the late 1860s, Claude Monet and Renoir came to a conclusion that shadows were not black or brown, but in reality reflected the color of the objects surrounding them. After in 1890, Renoir used thin brush storkes and opted for a more sketchy style, focusing more on the outlines of figures. He outstandingly combined a blissful perspective with bold contrasting lines alluring the audience. Very late in his career did Renoir use very strong colors and thick brush strokes to capture the audience's attention. Nevertheless, throughout Renoir's successful artistic life, his artwork represented more than just paint on a canvas, but the warmth and richness of the world and all the people in it.