Pierre-Auguste Renoir

(1841-1919)

Contents

The Highlights

AT THE INN OF MOTHER ANTHONY

DIANA

PORTRAIT OF LISE

THE PONT DES ARTS

ALFRED SISLEY AND HIS WIFE

WOMAN OF ALGIERS

CLAUDE MONET READING

SUMMER LANDSCAPE

LA LOGE

NUDE IN THE SUNLIGHT

THE SWING

AT THE MOULIN DE LA GALETTE

MADAME CHARPENTIER AND HER CHILDREN

THE LUNCHEON OF THE BOATING PARTY

TWO SISTERS

THE UMBRELLAS

THE BATHERS, 1884

GABIRELLE WITH A ROSE

THE BATHERS, 1918

The Paintings

THE COMPLETE PAINTINGS

CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF PAINTINGS

ALPHABETICAL LIST OF PAINTINGS

The Biography

AUGUSTE RENOIR AND HIS WORK by Camille Mauclair

© Delphi Classics 2015

Version 1

Masters of Art Series

Pierre-Auguste Renoir

By Delphi Classics, 2015

The Highlights

Limoges, Haute-Vienne, France — Renoir’s birthplace

Renoir was the son of Leonardo Renoir, a stonecutter, and Daisy Merlet, a seamstress.

Portrait of Pierre-August Renoir by Frédéric Bazille, 1867

THE HIGHLIGHTS

In this section, a sample of some of Renoir’s most celebrated works are provided, with concise introductions, special ‘detail’ reproductions and additional biographical images.

AT THE INN OF MOTHER ANTHONY

Pierre-Auguste Renoir was born in Limoges, Haute-Vienne, France, the child of a working-class family. As a boy, he worked in a porcelain factory where his drawing talents soon led to his being chosen to paint designs on fine china. He often painted hangings for overseas missionaries and decorations on fans, which led him to enrol at a local art school. During these early years, he often visited the Louvre to study the French masters of the Rococo, particularly admiring the works of Fragonard and Boucher, which influenced his decoration work. In time, he felt he no longer wished to be a copier of others, but instead to create his own individual works of art. Therefore, he worked hard in his various jobs, saving money he put aside, so that he might join a prestigious art school and become an independent artist in his own right.

In 1862, Renoir began his studies under Charles Gleyre in Paris at the École des Beaux-Arts, where he met fellow students Alfred Sisley, Frédéric Bazille and Claude Monet. Renoir’s master Gleyre was a painter of the formal academic tradition, who favoured classical and historic subjects, which dominated the nineteenth century art scene in France. Such paintings were often completed on large canvasses, with dark palettes and subjects taken from mythical, Biblical or grand historical events – never from every day life. At that time, the only realistic opportunity for artistic success in France was through the Salon, which favoured such classical contributions to its exhibitions every year. However, there was a change in the air.

Gustave Courbet (1819-1877), a self-proclaimed leader of the Realist movement in nineteenth century French painting, was committed to painting only what he could see, rejecting academic conventions and the Romanticism of the previous generation. His independence set an example that was important to later artists, such as the Impressionists and the Cubists. Courbet occupied an important place in French painting as an innovator and as an artist willing to make bold social statements through his work. During his early studies at the École des Beaux-Arts, Renoir and his fellow students, particularly his close friend Monet, became aware of these radical developments of theory in art. The young artists started experimenting painting outside, en plein air, often visiting the Forest of Fontainebleau, a scenic haven of sorts favoured by painters. At Fontainebleau, Renoir met Courbet for the first time and the influence of the Realist’s style and colour palette can be seen in the younger artist’s first major artwork.

Completed in 1866, At the Inn of Mother Anthony depicts a hostelry in the Fontainebleau area that was popular with artists at the time. Renoir presents the landlady’s daughter clearing the table, while the artists Jules Le Cœur and Alfred Sisley are seated and the bearded figure of Claude Monet stands behind the woman. Portraying an everyday scene of artists socialising in an inn, with tea cups inelegantly balanced on top of each other and a humble dog brazenly staring at the viewer under the table, the canvas is an early indication of Renoir turning away from the academic tradition of Gleyre.

The colour palette adapted by Renoir is unlike what the artist would become famous for in his later works. Courbet and the other Realist painters were renowned for their sombre tones of colour, believing that artists should be concerned with the portrayal of real life and not idealised beauty. In Renoir’s first major work the range of browns and blacks conform to this theory, giving the canvas an earthy, realistic portrayal of every day people, caught in a momentary example of their lives.

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Self-portrait (1849) — Gustave Courbet (1819-1877) was a leader of the Realist movement in nineteenth century French painting, greatly influencing Renoir early works.

The Meeting (“Bonjour, Monsieur Courbet”), 1854 — one of Courbet’s celebrated realist masterpieces

DIANA

In the village of Marlotte, Renoir lived with his fellow artist Jules Le Cœur (pictured seated at the table facing Alfred Sisley in At the Inn of Mother Anthony) and Le Cœur’s mistress, Clemence Tréhot. This was to have an important impact on Renoir’s personal life, when Clemence’s nineteen year old sister Lise Tréhot became his mistress and his favoured model. In 1867 he painted Diana, portraying his lover as the Roman goddess of the hunt. The canvas was submitted to the Paris Salon of that year and demonstrates Renoir’s early adaptability to conform to traditional tastes. The young artist had chosen a mythological theme to appeal to the academic Salon jury, though the attempt failed and the canvas was rejected.

The beautiful goddess adopts an athletic pose, holding on to her emblematic bow, as she looks down at her captured quarry. Diana appears pensive, as her face is cast in shadow. A woodland scene surrounds the goddess, with deep blue sky, a naturalistic portrayal of rocks and grass, with encroaching shadows to the right side of the canvas. Amongst the shade, the artist’s signature can be glimpsed in a slightly darker grey.

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PORTRAIT OF LISE

Undaunted by the rejection of Diana the following year, Renoir submitted this portrait of Lise with a parasol at the Paris Salon in 1868 and the painting was accepted, becoming an instant success. Painted in 1867 in the Forest of Fontainebleau, the work is yet another example of Courbet’s influence on the young Renoir. Courbet’s Village Maidens, which had been exhibited the year before, depicts a similar female holding a parasol, with her face obscured in shade. Courbet’s bold compositional style can be seen in Renoir’s own depiction of a young fashionable lady, hiding her face from the sun’s rays. The daring white purity of the woman’s dress contrasts strongly with the imprecise landscape portrayed around her, serving as a foil to her beauty. The delicate change in light from her face, which is covered in shadow, to bright daylight on her dress, are early indications of the artist’s dexterity in presenting shade.

Lise Tréhot was Renoir’s mistress from 1865 to 1871 and he painted her at least seventeen times, with this significant portrait undoubtedly being his first critical success.

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‘Village Maidens’ by Gustave Courbet, 1852

THE PONT DES ARTS

Painted in 1867 and now housed in the Norton Simon Foundation, Los Angeles, this cityscape depicts the Palais Richelie, the Institut de France and the Pont des Arts — a pedestrian bridge in Paris crossing the River Seine, linking a central square of the Palais du Louvre. The foreground of the composition is empty, save for shadows, drawing the viewer’s eye to the cluster of figures in the centre of the canvas. Various men and women are queuing for an imminent boat trip, other pedestrians are about to cross the bridge, while others stroll in the sun, as Renoir captures a fleeting moment of an idle summer’s afternoon in Paris.

The artist has opted for a low viewpoint, unusual at that time, allowing him to produce an immediate and direct approach to his work. Reportedly, Renoir sat outside a café sketching the work, whilst he commissioned his brother Edmond to wander around talking to strangers, distracting them long enough for Renoir to sketch them in to his picture.

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The Pont des Arts today

ALFRED SISLEY AND HIS WIFE

Renoir and his fellow artist Alfred Sisley became good friends following their tutelage under Gleyre and in 1865 Renoir exhibited a portrait of Sisley’s father to the Paris Salon. In 1868 he completed this striking portrait of Sisley and his wife, framed against a hazy backdrop, most likely once again in the Forest of Fontainebleau. The indistinct and vague landscape sets off the fine detail of Marie Sisley’s dress and her husband’s formal suit. The couple had been married for two years, though their posture suggests a formal and somewhat impersonal impression. Renoir later described Marie’s character as being “very sensitive” and “exceptionally well-bred”.

The painting demonstrates the influence of Édouard Manet, whose 1866 painting The Fifer employs a stripe down a trouser leg to establish a precisely separated division between areas, as used by Renoir to delineate Alfred Sisley’s left leg. A copy of Manet’s painting was made by Renoir in 1866, indicating his appreciation of the technique. However, Marie Sisley’s arresting dress dominates the foreground, moving in front of the husband, and she gazes directly at the viewer, as though aware of her power. In this bold portrayal, Renoir makes a clear statement about the personality, and perhaps even the social position of the wife compared to the husband.

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‘The Fifer’ or ‘Young Flautist’ by Édouard Manet, 1866

WOMAN OF ALGIERS

Due to previous works by Ingres and Delacroix, there was a penchant in Paris for paintings with an Oriental theme and for this reason Renoir painted Lise Tréhot as the Woman of Algiers in 1870. Now housed in the Washington Ntaional Gallery, the canvas was initially submitted to the Paris Salon of 1870, where it was accepted and won great acclaim. It is particularly indebted to Delacroix’s The Women of Algiers, which Renoir admired, writing “there is not a more beautiful picture in the world!”

In Woman of Algiers, Lise is dressed in an exotic Eastern costume, richly ornamented with gold, as she glances seductively and imperiously down at the viewer. The painting is an exercise of painterly skill, depicting an array of textures and exuberance, with rich, vibrant colours, tempting skin tones, exquisite golden jewellery, brocade, muslin and a cast aside robe — most likely of a departed lover. Once more, Woman of Algiers is a demonstration of Renoir’s adaptability to conform to Salon tastes in order to achieve successful commissions, a character trait that his more radical friend Monet would never have.

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‘The Women of Algiers’ by Eugène Delacroix, 1834

‘Grande Odalisque’ by Jean Auguste Ingres, 1814

CLAUDE MONET READING

Housed in the Musée Marmattan, Paris, this 1872 portrait depicts Renoir’s close friend and fellow artist Claude Monet. Following his return to France from England in 1871, Monet rented a small housed at Argenteuil, where Renoir often joined him. Here, they regularly set up their easels next to each other and would work together on canvasses. Years later, it has been recorded, they were unable to tell some of their pictures apart.

This portrait, one of several of the same theme completed by Renoir, formerly belonged to Monet and the personal nature of the image is confirmed by the relaxed and familiar expression of the sitter, as he smokes his pipe and reads his newspaper. Though the palette suggests a sombre mood, due to the prevalence of blues and browns, the yellow of the pipe and chair arm complement such an impression, balancing the tones, whilst the light on the artist’s face emphasises the artist’s tranquil character.

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Claude Monet, 1871

SUMMER LANDSCAPE

Completed in 1873, this painting demonstrates Renoir’s full commitment to Impressionism in his art, which would dominate his canvases for many years to come. After a series of rejections by the Salon juries, Renoir joined forces with Monet, Sisley, Pissarro and several other artists to mount the first Impressionist exhibition in April 1874, in which Renoir displayed six paintings. Although the critical response to the exhibition was largely unfavourable, Renoir’s work was comparatively well received. That same year, two of his works were shown with Durand-Ruel in London.

The primary purpose of the Impressionist exhibition was not so much to promote a new style, but to free themselves from the constraints of the Salon de Paris. The exhibition was open to anyone prepared to pay 60 francs, providing the artists a rare opportunity to show their work without the interference of a jury. Renoir chaired the hanging committee and did most of the work himself, as others members failed to present themselves. Monet presented five oil paintings, including Impression, Sunrise, painted in 1872, depicting a Le Havre port landscape. From the painting’s title the art critic Louis Leroy, in his review, “L’Exposition des Impressionnistes,” coined the term “Impressionism”. It was intended as disparagement, though the Impressionists appropriated the term for themselves.

In Summer Landscape Renoir’s brushstrokes are short and varied in direction, according to the depicted surfaces. The flowers in the foreground are little more than vibrant patches of colours, with no attempt at detail. Renoir is instead interested with the perception of seeing, rather than what can actually be seen. Therefore, the small canvas is alive with a teeming sense of movement, as the flowers seem to swell with the vivid portrayal of colours. The painting bears almost no horizon, creating a dizzying impression of space, whilst the sanding figure, in an almost black hue, gives a sombre contrast to the dazzling colours surrounding her.

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‘Impression, soleil levant’ by Claude Monet 1872 — generally agreed to be the first ‘Impressionist’ work

LA LOGE

La loge was submitted to the first Impressionist Exhibition in 1874 and now forms part of the collection at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. The painting turns interest away from the performance, focusing instead on the theatre of the social stage, where status and relationships were on public display on a nightly basis. The theatre in Paris was a rapidly expanding industry during the nineteenth century, dictating the cultural life of the city. It was an increasingly important place to see and to be seen, where wealth was flaunted and fashions were paraded. In this image, Renoir explores a contemporary theme, where the subject is clearly more interested in being seen in her fine attire than she is interested in the action on the stage. Behind the woman, her male companion is occupied with looking upwards, evidently at the audience, once again suggesting the vanity of the scene. The models for the piece were Renoir’s brother Edmond and a Montmartre model named Nini. Her ornate clothing, glittering bracelet, opera glasses and delicate pale skin all indicate her wealthy status. The most captivating element of the composition is the enigmatic posture of the female, as she leans slightly forward, with an air of expectancy.

The total attendance of the Impressionist Exhibition of 1874 has been estimated at 3500. Several works did sell, though some exhibitors had placed their prices too high. Pissarro asked 1000 francs for The Orchard and Monet the same price for Impression: Sunrise, neither of which sold. Renoir failed to obtain the 500 francs he asked for La Loge, though later sold the painting for 450 francs to Père Martin, a long-term dealer and supporter of the Impressionists. The unusual change in price may appear strange at first, but it was in fact the exact amount the artist needed in order to pay his rent and he refused to take less for the canvas. Immediately on payment, he settled with his landlord and was free from debt, able to concentrate on his next artwork without any financial concerns. Fortunately, La loge proved to be so popular, that the artist was asked to paint three more versions of the subject.

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Nadar’s studio, Atelier Nadar 35 Boulevard Des Capucines, 1860 — the location of the first Impressionist Exhibition in 1874

NUDE IN THE SUNLIGHT

This 1876 canvas, housed in the Paris Musée d’Orsay, once again demonstrates Renoir’s Impressionist manner, though the choice of subject matter and shift in style hints at the changes his later works would adopt, contrasting with Monet and the other Impressionists. Renoir would eventually revert back to the subject matter and ways of the Old Masters he so much admired. In later years the artist would look in a different direction for inspiration, nurturing an obsession for painting nude women in nature as seen in this striking canvas. Unlike the contemporary flavour of most Impressionist paintings, the scene is without a specific time, place or setting. Renoir is instead taking on the subject matter of a timeless nude, much like in the spirit of a Giorgione or a Titian, though the quick brushwork and muffled edges are evidently still in the Impressionist style and the palette remains bright.

The sun shines through the trees, casting patches of light and shadow on the woman’s body, and again there is no horizon or defined separation of the garment the woman is wrapping across her lower body. The background is an abstract mass of brush strokes and colour, adding to the dizzying sense of unreality. When the composition was first unveiled, the depiction of the woman was harshly criticised, with one critic in Le Figaro comparing the depiction of green skin as decaying flesh, misunderstanding the artist’s intention of portraying the reflection of green trees surrounding the nude. Renoir is once again more interested in the perception of seeing, than what is actually seen. The greenish tones of her body, a rich range of hues to indicate the delicate blend of shadow and light, portray the woman in a realistic and, until that time, innovative manner.