Pierre-Auguste Renoir was born on February 25^th 1841 in Limoges France. He died at the age of seventy eight, after a prolific life as an artist on December 3^rd 1919. Renoir was among those artists who led the way for the development of Impressionism. He revered femininity, beauty and sensuality in a traditional sense. Born into a working class family Renoir began working in a Porcelain factory as a boy. Renoir’s talents were first recognized here and subsequently he was selected to paint designs on the chinaware produced.

As a boy working in the Porcelain factory Renoir would visit the famous Louvre to study the masterworks of French artists on display there. Along with Sisley, Renoir began to study at the studios of Marc Charles Gabriel Glevre in 1962: Who had been running the studios since he took over from Paul Delaroche in 1843. Renoir was not as affluent as Alfred Sisley and according to urban legend there were times he could not afford to buy paint: That is, in the early days.

At the Glevre studios Renoir met Monet and Bazille: They, along with Sisley and Renoir would be among the first artists to experiment and investigate the transient effect of light when painting en plein air. Painting outside was a bold and innovative artistic statement at the time. The bold brushwork and colors that later transcended to become what is known as the Impressionist style was highly innovative: However, this was not a style people were accustomed to.

Because it was such a very different approach, the Paris Salon consistently rejected the groups work at first. Even so, Renoir did begin exhibiting some works at the Salon from 1864 – Several of Sisley’s oil paintings were also exhibited in 1868: However, neither would receive any critical acclaim or gain financially from those exhibitions. Recognition for Renoir would not come until after the Franco-Prussian war ended: Sisley died in virtual poverty.

In 1864 Renoir befriended Jules le Coeur and his family who would invite him to stay at their property near the forest of Fontainebleau: This association would be beneficial to Renoir for the next ten years – When the friendship ended Renoir not only lost that valuable support Renoir also lost his favorite painting location. Thus, from then on, there would be a distinct change of subject matter within his paintings. Renoir’s work was noted for its vibrancy, light and color. He loved to capture candid intimacy – The female nude being one of Renoir’s most favored subjects.

The first independent Impressionist exhibition was finally held in 1874: From which Renoir received his first true taste of artistic acclaim. In the same year he exhibited two oil paintings at the Durand-Ruelgallery in London. Paul Durand-Ruelwas a modern French art dealer - Among the first to support his painters by providing them with a chance to display their work individually with solo exhibitions. He was also among the first dealers to embrace the work of the Impressionists.

Some years later, in 1881 Renoir travelled across Europe to see some of the finest artworks ever created. He travelled to Algeria to experience the country which had inspired the French Romantic painter Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix: To Madrid to see the Baroque portraits of Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez: To Florence for Titian and Rome for Raphael – Renoir also met the legendary composer Wagner in Sicily: Completing his portrait in around thirty-five minutes. After convalescing in Algeria because of pneumonia he spent the summer of 1883 on the English Isle of Guernsey where he produced fifteen oil paintings of which most featured the bay of Moulin Huet.

After traveling Renoir settled down to work in Montmartre. Here, over a period of two years Renoir created The Bathers (1885-1887) – A somewhat popular subject during this period: George Seurat produced The Bathers at Asniered two years earlier: Gauguin, another in 1898: Paul Cézanne actually created several which includedLes Grandes Baigneuses; exhibited for the first time in 1906.

Undoubtedly, Renoir was a productive artist producing several thousand paintings during his working life. His sensitivity and skill rendering him one of the most recognized and reproduced artists of the twentieth century.