Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841 – 1919)
Although closely associated with the Impressionist artists of the late nineteenth century, Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s work can be characterized by an interest in capturing the sensuous appeal of the human form, as opposed to the rendering of fleeting spectacles of atmosphere and light. Throughout his artistic career, Renoir drifted between the preferred classicism of the time, and the modern Impressionist effort of visual subjectivity.
Renoir was born in 1841 in the town of Limoges, in south-central France. His father was a tailor, and in 1844, relocated his family to the artistic and cultural center of Paris. Renoir showed interest in music and art at an early age, and was apprenticed at the age of fifteen as a porcelain painter. He spent two years learning to decorate plates, teapots, and vases in ornate detail until the china works store closed in 1858. At this point, Renoir decided to take his talent and interest beyond commercial employment; he wanted to become a serious artist.
The expression and animation present in the works of Delacroix, Rubens, Boucher, and Fragonard were of particular delight and fascination to Renoir as he began his traditional artistic training by imitating works in the Louvre. In 1861 he began private instruction with Charles Gleyre. Other students received in the private atelier were Claude Monet, Alfred Sisley, and Frederic Bazille. These young artists appreciated the laborious, classical technique taught by Gleyre, but all shared the same painting aspiration – to provide a fresh and personal look at reality.