Â鶹APP

Le Moulin de la Galette portrait by Renoir- Wikimedia

Top 10 Facts about French painter Renoir

Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a French Impressionist artist. He used colour and light to bring out the beauty of his art pieces.

His love for art started when he was a young boy. Little did he know he would leave a legacy through his art.

Renoir was one of the leading painters in the Impressionist movement. He used his art to celebrate feminine beauty and sensuality.

His work reflected colour and light. Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette was one of his most popular paintings. Here are the top 10 facts about Renoir.

1. Renoir came from a lineage of artists

Interestingly, growing up Renoir was famous for singing than painting. In his early life, he was esteemed more for his singing than for his drawing.

His teacher, Charles Gounod, encouraged him to pursue music.   

Financial difficulties made him drop out of music school and he took up painting. He started working in a porcelain factory at 13 years old.

Renoir’s father, a tailor, moved to Â鶹APP in 1845 with his family. He had seven siblings and Renoir showcased his talent at a very early age.

He believed in himself and took to studying painting earnestly.

2. His career kicked off as a porcelain painter

By Pierre-Auguste Renoir – Wikimedia

After leaving music school, Renoir went to work in a porcelain factory decorating plates and cups. He discovered that he was passionate about it and wanted to explore more.

He visited art galleries of the Louvre and used his skills to copy other great masterpieces. Renoir also painted cloth panel and religious themes that hung in churches.    

3. Renoir’s family was his muse

Before Renoir got married, he hired models to pose for his portraits. After he got married to his long-time girlfriend, Aline Charigot, in 1890; she became his muse.

Together with their son, Pierre, the two posed for his Mother Nursing Her Child portrait.

As the family grew, they became inspirational to his paintings. Jean and Claude appeared in his paintings too.

Renoir’s paintings reflected the daily life occurrences of himself as well as his family. 

His talent was passed down to his children and grandchildren. Claude Renoir, Jean Renoir and actor Pierre Renoir loved ceramic art.

The exhibition of his great-grandson, Alexandre Renoir, was showcased at the Monthaven Arts and Cultural Centre.

4. Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette was his favourite and famous painting

Le Moulin de la Galette portrait by Renoir- Wikimedia

Renoir’s most famous painting is the 1876 Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette. This painting is set in outdoor in a garden.

There are people in the garden dancing, a popular activity on Sunday afternoons in Â鶹APP.   

Other works by Renoir that are celebrated showcase modernist art. He was able to capture both light and colour through loose brushwork.  

Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette brings out the sense of movement featuring intimate vignettes within the crowded scene.

Renoir later changed his technique to portraits and figure paintings, particularly of women.

5. Together with other artists, they held the first Impressionist exhibition in April 1874

Renoir collaborated with modern painters Camille Pissarro and Édouard Manet to exhibit their art. Before these three came together, they had gotten several rejections for their work.

The first Impressionist exhibition was held in 1874. Renoir had six of his paintings displayed. There was a lot of criticism of their art.

However, Renoir stopped submitting his work to the Impressionist exhibitions instead had them at the Salon.

6. His paintings were rejected

By Dornac – Wikimedia

One colour that was conspicuously missing from Renoir’s paintings was black. His fellow impressionist painters also excluded colour in their art.

This was however not well received by art critics. It was because it was considered to be a diversion from traditional painting.

On the flip side, this trend made them popular with the public. Renoir used small multi-coloured strokes to create a sparkling effect.   

7. Renoir’s style was dynamic

During his lifetime, Renoir made thousands of paintings. His work is so popular that it gets reproduced.

Most of his works were very sensual depicting nudity and women. He often changed his style; each with different scenery, portraiture. This was called his Ingres period.

Renoir then switched to his classical roots where he used thin brushes. This way, he was able to pay more attention to the finer details of his paintings.

8. Renoir and Claude Monet had something in common

By Carolus-Duran – Wikimedia

One thing Renoir and Monet shared was the same colour theory. Their paintings did not include black or brown, instead, they used multi-coloured reflections of objects around their subject.  

His paintings used vibrant light and saturated colour compositions. Renoir described details of a scene in his painting using freely brushed touches of colour.

This technique made his figures softly fuse with one another and their surroundings.

9. Renoir’s wife was once his model

By Pierre-Auguste Renoir – Wikimedia

Renoir married Aline Victorine Charigot, a dressmaker twenty years his junior. She used to be his model and featured in the Luncheon of the Boating Party painting.

The two had a son, Pierre, before they got married. Aline featured in several of Renoir’s paintings as well as their children.

10. Arthritis did not stop Renoir from painting

By Dornac – Wikimedia

Around 1892, Renoir developed rheumatoid arthritis. This made him move to warmer climate in a farm at Cagnes-sur-Mer, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur.

He continued painting for almost 20 years even though arthritis greatly affected his mobility. The disease made him change his painting techniques too.

Renoir needed assistance to hold a brush. He had a bandage on his hand to prevent skin irritation.