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Roses et jasmin dans un vase de
Delft
1880-188,Roses and Jasmine in a Delft Vase'' Oil on
canvas, 81.5 x 65 cm, The Hermitage, St. Petersburg; No. 3KP
524. Formerly collection Otto Krebs, Holzdorf
Born in Limoges. Renoir went to work at the age of 13
in Paris as a decorator of factory-made porcelain,
copying the works of Boucher. In 1862 he entered M. C.
Gleyre's studio, where he formed lasting friendships
with Bazille, Monet and Sisley. His early work
reflected myriad influences including those of Courbet,
Manet, Corot, Ingres and Delacroix. He began to earn
his living with portraiture in the 1870s; an important
work of this period was Madame Charpentier and her
Children (1876; Metropolitan Mus.). Simultaneously
he developed the ability to paint joyous, shimmering
color and flickering light in outdoor scenes such as
The Swing and the festive Moulin de la
Galette (both: 1876; Louvre). Renoir traveled in
Algeria and in Italy (1881–82), returning to Paris
where a successful exhibition (1883) established him
financially. He had gone beyond impressionism. His
ecstatic sensuality, particularly in his opulent,
generalized images of women, and his admiration of the
Italian masters removed him from the primary
impressionist concern: to imitate the effects of
natural light. After a brief period, often termed
“harsh” or “tight,” in which his forms were closely
defined in outline (e.g., The Bathers, 1884–87;
private coll.), his style of the 1890s changed,
diffusing both light and outline, and with dazzling,
opalescent colors describing voluptuous nudes, radiant
children, and lush summer landscapes. From 1903,
Renoir fought the encroaching paralysis of arthritis
at the same time that his work attained its greatest
sensual power and monumentality. Despite illness and
personal tragedy he began to produce major works of
sculpture (e.g., Victorious Venus, Renoir Mus.,
Cagnes-sur-Mer). Among his most celebrated paintings
are: Luncheon of the Boating Party (1881;
Phillips Coll., Washington, D.C.); Dance at
Bougival (1883; Mus. of Fine Arts, Boston);
Lady Sewing (Art Inst., Chicago); and Bather
(1917–18; Philadelphia Mus. of Art). Renoir's work is
represented in most of the important galleries in the
world. The Art Institute of Chicago; the Barnes
Collection, Merion, Pa.; Clark Institute,
Williamstown, Mass.; and the Louvre have large
collections. His son, the film director Jean Renoir,
wrote a biography (tr. 1962). |
