Pierre-Auguste Renoir Essay Example

nude models. Thanks to his prior experience and confidence, Renoir approached each task with enthusiasm and effort. His love for strong, vibrant colors could be attributed to his natural inclination or the rococo paintings he had previously copied.

However, these colors were not particularly popular at the time. During the first week, Renoir had a disagreement with Gleyre. Years later, Renoir reflected on the incident, saying "I had done my best to paint the model. Gleyre looked at it and said with an icy expression, 'You really paint for your own enjoyment, don't you?' - But of course I replied, 'You can be sure that I wouldn't do it if I didn't enjoy painting.' I'm not sure if he understood me correctly," Renoir added. Although his response was not intended to be provocative, it did represent a completely new attitude towards art.

The Painters of Batignolles were a group of young painters who were searching for new artistic styles and principles. They frequented a cafe in the Grande rue de Batignolles in Paris, where they socialized in the evenings. Manet was a central figure in the group, which also included writers and art critics like Zola, Theodore Duret, Zacharie Astruc, and Edmond Duranty. The group had a less solemn and dutiful attitude towards 'the noble goddess of art', focusing instead on creating sensuous, alive, and personal artwork.

At this time, Renoir was slim and somewhat anxious. He didn't participate much in their conversations and didn't believe in debating or theorizing, preferring instead to approach painting as a delightful craft rather than adhering to strict guidelines. Despite this, he could be animated and possessed a clever sense of humour.

His paintings were daring and the most forward-thinking of all because he painted only what he saw with his own eyes and attempted to depict it as realistically as possible.

The Babizon painters initiated this trend, however, they mostly painted indoors, missing the radiance that embellishes objects in natural sunlight. Their objective was to portray nature as accurately as possible, but encountered difficulties with depicting colored shadows. Through meticulous observations, the painters noticed that there are diverse hues present even in shadows, with blue being the most prominent. This revelation could only be explored outdoors, and consequently, Renoir created most of his artwork outside. Their ultimate goal was to capture the beauty of everyday life surrounding them.

Renoir unveiled his initial masterpiece 'LISE' in 1867, which was exhibited at the Salon in the following spring. The portrait featured a life-size depiction of his acquaintance, Lise, and was crafted in a way usually reserved for nobility. Subsequently, three years later, Renoir enlisted Lise once again as his muse for the creation of 'Woman of Algiers', a magnificent artwork rendered in the Oriental style that was highly popular during that era.

Renoir's paintings embody the idea of capturing the impression of nature. With the decision to paint scenes like landscapes and portraits instead of bathing ladies, a new subject was adapted to match the artist's styles. Through this process, the Impressionism style emerged, with paintings featuring changing lights and landscapes that remained unnamed until five years later. Renoir and his friends were showcased at the 'Salon' in the spring of 1870.

Despite Renoir's participation in the army upon the outbreak of war in July, resulting in the defeat

of Napoleon III and the establishment of a French republic, his 1872 submission to the 'Salon', 'Parisian Woman in Algerian Costumes', was rejected. The middle classes, still wary of any kind of innovation following the revolution, persisted with this attitude in subsequent years, causing artists like Renoir to endure significant hardship and rejection.

During the days of French impressionism, many artists were refining their styles and developing their studios. Among them, Renoir produced some of the most magical works of art at the time. His paintings portrayed various aspects of life which he saw and approved, shedding light on the existing aspects of society and encouraging people to accept themselves in a new way by looking at all aspects of their lives. Renoir's portraits showcased his talent for expressing femininity and conveying deep joy. He could turn even an ugly woman into a gleaming duchess in silk and velvet, but only if his heart was in it.

Hollis's most impressive works depict individuals with whom he had a personal connection, including his wife and close acquaintances. Despite the need to maintain a steady stream of orders, his vibrant and radiant paintings convey a sense of spontaneity that is evident in all of his pieces. As the year progressed, the trend among consumers shifted towards purchasing Japanese-style paintings for home decoration.

Despite his reluctance to follow the trend of Japanese art, Renoir had to embrace it for financial reasons. A distinguishing feature of his paintings was his skillful contrast of colors, with black being his preferred hue. Throughout 1876, Renoir focused on depicting children in his artwork. He captured the softness of their eyes and imparted a rosy

glow to their complexion, while also portraying them in a pose that was both typical and true to their natural behavior.

Throughout the seventies, Renoir created many stunning landscapes, including his picturesque 'Country footpath in summer'. These works were known for their vibrant and colorful floral displays, which continued to be a dominant theme in his paintings until 1888. After this point, all of Renoir's pieces possessed an even more beautiful quality, with strong, evenly distributed sparkling colors that were brighter and more powerful than ever before.

When painting individuals in a natural setting, Renoir connected the environment by utilizing identical hues and textures. This technique attracted the viewer's focus towards the person. In his independent work, the artist frequently portrayed corpulent women. For my art assignment, I selected Renoir due to his role in originating a novel art style that elevated aesthetics. Prior to this, art was typically unattractive and intended to elicit specific emotions, in my opinion.