Auguste Renoir

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Auguste Renoir (Limoges February 25th 1841 - Cagnes-sur-Mer December 3rd 1919), of his complete civil statue Pierre Auguste Renoir , is one of most famous French painters the. Not easily classable, it belonged to the impressionist school , but is rather quickly isolated as from the years 1880. More interested by painting of portraits and the naked female ones that by that of the landscapes, it works out a way of painting characteristic, which transcends its first influences (Fragonard, Courbet, Monet, then the Italian fresco).

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Biography

Auguste Renoir was born with Limoges the February 25th 1841. In 1844, Renoir and its family leave Limoges for Paris. Pierre-Auguste follows there his schooling until the 13 years age. Young teenager, it leaves to work in the Levy brothers where it will paint, until the 17 years age, of the bouquets, of the flowers,… on porcelain . In 1858, Renoir is devoted to painting on range. This work will leave him a taste of fluid surfaces and " effects; procelainés" as well as blow of a sure and fast brush. This passage by " the artisanat" he will give also the taste of work well done, and a deep respect for the with dimensions handbook of its art .

In 1862, Renoir enters to the Art schools and the workshop of Gleyre where it meets Monet, Bazille and Sisley. Its first tables are often underestimated and pass unperceived. However, the first work which it exposes to the living room ( Esméralda 1864) is a real success, but after the exposure, it destroys it. Its works of the period are marked by the influence of Ingres in the portraits, of Billhook also (particularly in its dead natures), but also of Delacroix from which it borrows certain topics (Eastern women for example). An important model at that time for him is its mistress Lise Tréhot, it is it which appears in table '' Lise in the sunshade '' (1867) which appeared in the living room of the same year, and which caused a very positive comment on behalf of a young criticism, Emile Zola. However overall the critical was bad , and of many caricatures appeared in the press.

The stay which Renoir made with Monet with " ''' the Snap fastener ''' " (establishment of baths close to Bougival, very popular place and a little " canaille" according to the guides of the time) is decisive in its career. It paints truly in the open air, which changes its pallet, and splits up its key (Monet goes much further in this field). He learns how to return the effects of the light, and more inevitably not to use the black for the shades. It is from there that one makes begin the period truly " impressionniste" of Renoir. It exposes with the aforementioned group of 1874 to 1878 (or 79?)and realizes then its masterpiece, '' a ball with the mill of the Wafer '', with Montmartre, in 1877. The table is bought by Gustave Caillebotte, a member of the more fortunate group. This ambitious fabric (by its format initially, 1m30 X 1m70, Museum of Orsay) is characteristic of the style and research of the artist during the decade 1870: touch fluid and coloured, shades coloured, disuse of the black, effects of textures, play of light which filters through the foliages, the clouds, taste for the scenes of the Parisian popular life, for models of its entourage (of the friends, people of the " bohème").

Around 1880 , misery becoming too hard (Renoir does not manage to sell its tables, criticism is often bad), Renoir decides not to expose more with his/her impressionist friends but to return to the official Living room , only possible way of success. Thanks to orders of prestigious portraits (like that of '' Mrs. Charpentier '', woman of the famous editor naturalist) it is made known and obtained orders more and more. Its art is done controlled more and he seeks more and more the effects of lines, marked contrasts marked, contours. That is visible in the famous '' Déjeuner Rowers (1880-81) of the Collection Philips (Washington), even if the set of themes remains close to its works of the decade 1870. One can see in this table a new model, Aline Charigot, who will become his wife and the mother of her three children, Pierre, Jean (the scenario writer) and Claude known as " coco". Three " danses" ('' Danse in Bougival '', Boston; '' Danse at the city '' and '' Danse in the countryside '', Museum of Orsay, about 1883) also testifies to this evolution.

Between 1881 and 1883 Renoir carries out many voyages which carries out it in the south of France (with the Estaque where it returns visit to Cézanne), in North Africa (where it carries out many landscapes) and in Italy. It is over there that the evolution started since 1880 crystallizes. In contact with works of Raphael especially (the Stanze of the the Vatican) Renoir feels that it arrived at the end of impressionism, that it " is in a dead end " , from now on he wants to make an art more " intemporel" , and more serious (it with the impression not to know to draw). It enters then the period known as " Ingresque" or " Aigre" , which culminates in 1887 when it present its famous '' Grandes Bathers to Paris. Contours of its characters become more precise. It draws the forms with more rigor, the colors are done colder, more acid. It is also influenced more by old art (in particular by a low-relief of Girardon in Versailles for the Bathers). When he becomes dad for the first time of small a Pierre (1885), Renoir gives up its works in progress to be devoted to fabrics on maternity. The reception of the Large Bathers is very bad, the avant-garde finds that he was mislaid (Pissarro in particular), and the academic mediums are not found there either. Its merchant, Durand-Ruel, ask for several times to him of give up this news " manière".

1890 with 1900, Renoir changes its style again. It is not any more of the pure impressionism nor of the style of the ingresque period, but a mixture of both. It preserves the subjects Ingres but takes again the fluidity of the features. The first work of this period, the Young girls with the piano '' (1982, one of the five versions is preserved at the Museum of Orsay), is acquired by the French State to be exposed with the Musée of Luxembourg. In 1894, Renoir is again dad of small a Jean (which will become scenario writer, author in particular of the Great Illusion and the Rules of the game) and takes again his works of maternity. The good one of his/her children, Gabrielle Fox, will become one of its great models. This décennie' , that of maturity, are also that of the consécration' . Its tables are sold well, criticism start to accept and appreciate its style, and official circles also recognize it (purchase of the Young girls to the piano referred to above, proposal of the legion of honor, which he refuses). Parrallélement, because of bad fall in particular, it develops rheumatisms which quickly will prove deforming, and which will gradually oblige it to give up going (about 1905).

It buys at the beginning of the century a house (" Colettes ") with Cagnes-on-sea, close to Cannes, in order to spend its old days under the sun of the south (without doubt advised by its doctor). He lives there with his wife Aline and his children, as with a whole heap of servants (who are more of the friends who servants) who help it in his life of the every day, which prepares its fabrics to him, its brushes etc It returns from time to time to Paris also. Works of the period are primarily portraits, the naked ones, dead natures and of the mythological scenes. Its fabrics are more and more chatoyantes, and it uses the increasingly fluid oil of way, all in transparency. The round and sensual female bodies résplendissent of life. Renoir is from now on a " star" world of art in France, and even international, it exposes everywhere in Europe and in the United States, in the Salons of Fall in Paris etc material ease takes part which it acquires do not make him lose the direction of realities and the taste of the simple things, it continues to paint in its small quasi-rustic universe. It tests novel methods, like the sculpture (at the request of a new merchant, Ambroise Vollard), while at the same time its hands cannot move almost more and is completely deformed by rheumatisms. He collaborates with Richard Guino, a young artist of Catalan origin which present to him Maillol and Vollard. Together they create a number of parts regarded as one of the tops of the modern sculpture: “Venus Victrix”, the “judgment of Pâris”, the “Large Washerwoman”… (Museum of Orsay).

His wife dies in 1915, and its sons are wounded during the war. Despite everything Renoir continues to paint, until its dead in 1919 . It would have besides, on its bed of death, requested a fabric and brushes to paint the bouquet of flower which was on the edge of the window. While returning for the last its brushes with the nurse he would have declared " I believe that I start to include/understand quelquechose" there; (which summarizes the great humility with which Renoir apprehended painting, and the life).

Impulsive, nervous and talkative, Renoir often had contradictory opinions, but it was always honest towards its family and her friends. Of all the impressionists, it is him which painted with the most constancy the events and the pleasures of “ordinary” people.

In 1919, it will die out with Cagnes-sur-Mer after having been able last once to visit the Louvre and to re-examine its works of the difficult times. He is finally recognized. He is buried with ''' Essoyes ''', in the Aube.

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Analyzes of works

General information

“Renoir often paints by using the colors of the rainbow and with short keys. The shades are often blue sharp and not black”
The keys of light are not white but are played in tons of bleu.
Renoir loves the women. In his works, one often finds them in carnal forms with small and fleshy mouths, with the very red lips often.

Dye stick with the sunshade

(the youth of the painter)

The fabric is painted in tons of white, expensive with the impressionists. One finds Lise under the foliage of the forest of Fontainebleau. Renoir already makes play the shades and the light on the dress of Dye stick. It gives up its dark colors. Read refers already characteristic of the female faces of Renoir. This work is largely inspired by Courbet.

Mrs Charpentier and his children

This portrait of group of the end of the impressionist period represents Marguerite-Louise Lemonnier ( Mrs Charpentier ) (1848-1904) and her children, Georgette-Berthe (1872-1945) and Paul-Emile-Charles (1875-1895). Marguerite-Louise was the woman of Georges Charpentier, the editor very for Zola, Daudet and Maupassant and held, with her husband, an important place in the intellectual middle of the time.

In this table, Renoir painted an unusual composition at his place. One finds there a little the arrangement of a religious painting (pointing out Rubens, with the dog replacing the lamb). The scene vibrates thanks to the register of fabrics and light circulating in the part. Seul Renoir could draw poetry from this place of society man medium even if that were reproached to him by certain.

The children and their mom refer that Renoir holds to the women: roundness, forms, pretty faces.

Renoir, not having wished to take part in the fourth “impressionist Exposure” in 1878, proposed Mrs Georges Charpentier and its children with the “official Living room”. Accepted by the jury, the table gained a great success there. Camille Pissarro wrote on this subject: “Renoir has a great success with the Living room. I believe that it is launched, so much better, it is so hard misery!.”

To lunch of the rowers

(impressionist period)
It is about the last philosopher's stone of Renoir in this style. One finds there the sets of shades and of light in let us tons of blue, the typical female faces of Renoir. This painting is made up with an astonishing contrast between the bottom and the characters in let us tons rather molten sharp pastels but, and the few objects and mets very contrasted on the table with fruits with the colors very sharp with the powerful and relatively pure features, and large pastings of pure white for the reflections. The printed reproductions are seldom faithful to the original. The image opposite does not present either all these contrasts. As usual, Renoir made there take part a great number of his/her friends: its wife, Gustave Caillebotte (painter), Mr. Fournaise (restorer), Alphonsine Furnace, the baron Raoul Barber, Paul Lhote, Lestringuez, Jeanne Samary (actress), as her banker Mr. Ephrussi who was added thereafter. The remainders of the meal prove that Renoir was a talented painter in kind died. In the landscape of the bottom, one sees boats.

the Large Bathers

Young girls with the piano

(pearly period)

It represents a family scene of two young girls playing of the piano. The two young girls have already the carnal body of the women that Renoir liked to paint. This fabric is not any more of pure impressionism but one does not find there the features of precise brush of the ingresque period. Clothing of the children was not embellished what makes this fabric more real. This work was carried out in 5 different ways because Renoir knew that the French State wished to make a purchase. Thanks to this fabric, Renoir is finally recognized.

the clown

(1909, oil on fabric (120 X 70 cm), museum of the Orangery, Paris)
(period cagnoise)

It is about a portrait of Claude, equipped with a red costume puffing out. Renoir underlines the puffing out shapes of the costume what confers a certain presence and a certain authority to the young boy. The columns are painted in oblique.

The clown, symbol even of the Machiavellism, was very present in the fabrics of Renoir.

Nude woman lying

This naked lengthened, having Gabrielle for model, is certainly one of the most sensual works of Renoir. Painted during the first decade of the 20th century, it is attached to the period known as pearly of the artist. On a neutral bottom, which contrasts with the impression of mollesse which emerges from the form and the position of the cushions, Renoir placed a naked young woman, lengthened on a white cloth, the body on the left side, the head retained by the hand.

One knows many fabrics of Renoir representing of the nude women in nature in harmony with the surrounding landscape. It is rarer to see it painting the naked one in interior with the manner of Goya or Manet. Here, in a fabric all in length, Renoir gives free course to its pleasure of painting the body of the woman.

Renoir preserved this work in its workshop until its death ten year later. It is difficult to give an exact date to this work. Three naked having Gabrielle for model, in slightly different positions was carried out by the artist. The first in 1903, the last in 1907. This one could range between the two.

This table was exposed for the first time in 1927, with the gallery Bernheim-young person with Paris. It was acquired by the State in 1960 and is now exposed to the Musée of the Orangery.

the Ball with the mill of the wafer

This fabric painted in 1876 is an oil on fabric which measures 1.31m height by 1.75m of width and is preserved at the museum of Orsay, at the higher level, salle32.

Scene unrolls into full air (forced that the impressionists asserted themselves), one Sunday afternoon, one day of good weather. The people present in the scene are friends of the painter: models, painters, accustomed place, among which one recognizes: the writer Georges River, the Goeneutte painter, Lamy who are installed with the table of the foreground and a called Estelle who sat on the bench. Renoir, represents thus on its fabric, a merry crowd people of all social environments, which share good time, dance on the left, chatter on the right, smoke and drink. All these characters are represented in action what causes questions such as: seduction operates or disputes? …

One can thus define three plans, in the foreground one with the discussion of the people sitting, the second plan the dancers and the third plan of the buildings where the orchestra is seen.

Instead of using as do it more the share of the painters, clearness with foreground then gradually a blur, it puts the blur everywhere and the only distinction of depth is done by the size of the people represented. It decides to represent this scene in an environment bluish strewn with spots of light distributed unequally as if they crossed the foliage of the trees to arrive at close to crowd.

It is thanks to the light that Renoir emphasizes these characters, for example the couple on the left of the scene seems to be surrounded by light on the ground and the pink dress clearly of the woman reinforces this effect and proposes.

Renoir uses colors pastel more or less sharp at certain places

Principal works

Pierre-Auguste Renoir painted during nearly sixty years. Prolific painter, it left us a considerable work, necessarily unequal. One counts in this one more: 4000 paintings, is a number higher than that of works of Manet, Cézanne and joined together Degas. Among those, one can quote:

Portrait of the mother of Renoir , (1860), particular Collection
Portrait of Roman Lacaux , (1864), The Cleveland Museum off Art
Portrait of Sisley , (1864)
Clearing in wood , (1865, Institute off Arts, Strait), announces the poppies of the pastoral Part .
Cabaret of the mother Anthony , (1866), National Museum, Stockholm
Jules the Heart and his dogs , (1866), Museum of Arte, Sao Paulo
Portrait of Frederic Bazille , (1867)
Dye stick with the sunshade (1867), National Gallery off Art, Washington
Clown with the circus , (1868), Rijksmuseum Kröller-Müller, Promised in marriage Otterlo
the (known as the Household Sisley ) (1868), Wallraf-Richartz Museum, Cologne
the Snap fastener (1869, Stockholm)
the Bather with the griffon , (1870), Museum of Arte, Sao Paulo
Claude Monet reading , (1872), Museum Marmottan, Paris
Bust of woman , (1872 - 1875), The Barnes Foundation, Merion, Pennsylvania
Monet painting its garden with Argenteuil , (1873), Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford
Ride with the wood of Boulogne , (1873), Foundation Barnes Kunstalle, Hamburg
Duck pond (1873, Dallas) in two specimens
the Harvesters , (1873, private collection, Switzerland).
the Cabin , (1874), Courtauld Institute Galleries, London
the Woman in blue (1874), particular Collection
Young girl reading , (1874 - 1876), Museum of Orsay, Paris
Woman seen of back , (v. 1875 - 1879), Museum Malraux, Le Havre
Way going up in the tall grasses (v. 1875), Museum of Orsay, Paris
the Gathering of the flowers , (1875), National Gallery off Art, Washington D.C
in love , (1875), Narodni Gallery, Prague
Self-portrait , (1875),
Portrait of Claude Monet , (1875),
the Mill of the Wafer , (1876), Museum of Orsay, Paris
First steps , (1876), particular Collection
the Exit of the academy , ( 1876, The Barnes Foundation, Merion, Pennsylvania)
Woman with the piano , (1876), Art Institute, Chicago
Portrait of Mr Chocquet , (1876), Collection Oskar Reinhart, Winterthur
On the swing , (1876), Museum of Orsay, Paris
With the garden , (1876), Pouchkine Museum, Moscow
Portrait of Nini Lopez , (1876), Museum Malraux, Le Havre
Portrait of Jeanne Samary , (1877), Pouchkine Museum, Moscow
Couseuse , (1879),
the Girl of the lunch , (1879),
Rowers in Chatou , (1879), National Gallery off Art, Washington D.C
the Lunch , (1879),
the Young girl with the cat , (1879)
Landscape in Wargemont , (1879, Toledo, Ohio)
With the concert in a cabin with the Opera , (1880), Clark Art Institute, Williamstown
Close to the lake , (1880)
Place Clichy , (1880)
Miss Irene Cahen, of Antwerp , (1880), Collection E.G. Bührle
the Lunch of the rowers , (1880 - 1881), Philips Collection
Mother and child (1881), The Barnes Foundation, Merion, Pennsylvania
Bay of Salernes or Landscape of the South , (1881), Museum Malraux, Le Havre
Bay of Naples in the morning , (1881, Metropolitan, New York), starts the distance of impressionism.
the Garden of test (1881, MGM Mirage, Las Vegas), a constellation of coloured keys.
Vague , (1882, Dixon Gallery and Gardens, Memphis, Tennessee), a beachcomber of whipped gouache, very near to the abstraction.
Dance with the city, (1883), Museum of Orsay, Paris
Nude woman in a landscape , (1883), Museum of the Orangery, Paris
Young girl with the straw hat , (v. 1884)
the Large Bathers , (1884 - 1887), Museum of art of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Young bather , (1892), Metropolitan Museum off Art, New York
Jean playing with Gabrielle , ( 1894),
Gabrielle and Jean , (1895), National museum of the Orangery, Paris
the Family of the artist (or children of Mr Caillebotte ) ( 1896 ) The Barnes Foundation, Merion, Pennsylvania
the deadened Bather , (1897),
Nude woman in the open air , (1900),
Nude woman lying , (1906), Museum of the Orangery, Paris
the Lady with range, (1908), Durand-Ruel Collection, New York
Coconut , (1910), Museum off Fine Arts, Boston
Young girl with the mandoline , (1918), Durand-Ruel Collection, New York
Pines in Cagnes , (v. 1919), Museum Malraux, Le Havre
the Bather

Gallery: Some other works of Renoir

Reference

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