PIERRE-AUGUSTE RENOIR (1841-1919) Title: Untitled, Medium: Charcoal on Paper, Size: 8 x 10.50 in, Date: c. 1910-19. w / C. of Attribution. Was a French painter and leading figure in the Impressionist movement. Best known for his luminous scenes of figures in landscapes, Renoir applied pigment with lively brushstrokes that effectively captured flickering light and atmosphere, as seen in his Bal du moulin de la Galette (1876). Using the technique of applying a combination of complementary colors in short strokes, the artist captured everyday moments in Parisian society. For me, a picture must be a pleasant thing, joyous and pretty yes, pretty. There are too many unpleasant things in life for us to fabricate still more, he once reflected. Born on February 25, 1841 in Limoges, France, Renoir studied at the cole des Beaux-Arts before meeting Claude Monet and Alfred Sisley with whom he would go on to form Impressionism. He participated in the first and second Impressionist exhibitions in 1874 and 1876, which despite receiving initial harsh reviews achieved the goal of providing a legitimate challenge to the dominance of the Salon exhibitions. Over the next decade, Renoir distanced himself from the group, painting tighter, more finished compositions, inspired by the Classical Art he saw while on a trip to Italy. Towards the end of his life he suffered from rheumatoid arthritis, and was forced to paint many of his last works with a brush tied to his hand. Renoir died on December 3, 1919 in Cagnes-sur-Mer, France at the age of 78. Today, the artist s works are held in the collections of the Musse d Orsay in Paris, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, and the National Gallery in London, among others.

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