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Pierre-Auguste Renoir (ruh NWAHR) was the son of a French tailor. He was one of seven children in the family. His first experience with painting came when he started to work for a porcelain maker who made fine dishes. Since their 13 year old boy wanted to be an artist, his parents thought this would be a good job for him. He painted flowers on cups and saucers.
When the music teacher at school tried to teach him music, he just spent his time making drawings on the music books.
He next began to paint fans for a living. The ladies used these fans to fan themselves when they became too warm. Then he painted window shades to look like stained glass windows. It seemed that he would never have a chance to become a real artist.
Finally he was able to go to an art school. He became friends with other artists, Monet, Sisley, and Bazille. Money was scarce and they helped one another to get food and supplies.
They developed a style of painting known as Impressionism. Someone started calling their paintings impressionistic because they titled some of their paintings as Impression, Impression of Sunrise etc. That person didn't really mean it as a compliment, but the name stayed with them.
Auguste Renoir
This style of painting used bright colors, and the artists rather than mixing the colors, would use quick brush strokes with the different colors, and the eye of the person viewing it would "mix" the colors. These artists worked out in the open and tried to show the effect of light on the colors. They observed how objects would change color as the sun moved across the sky.
The Charpentier family befriended him and helped him financially. In return he painted portraits of the family. His painting of Madame Charpentier and Her Children became one of his most famous paintings. Before his death, he was able to see his
Portrait of Madame Charpentier hanging in the famous Louvre.
When he was 40 years old, Renoir married Alice Charigat and they had three sons, Pierre, Jean, and Claude.
As he became older he began to suffer from rheumatoid arthritis. He used two sticks for walking, and he would attach the brush to his wrist with plaster so that he could paint. He called it "putting on his thumb". Since he couldn't change brushes easily, he would dip the brush in turpentine to clean it and continue painting.
Toward the end of his life, he began to experiment in sculpture. He could not use his own hands to model, but he used assistants to do the work and he told them what to do.
He died of pneumonia at the age of seventy-eight.
Source: Renoir by William Gaunt
Girl With a Watering Can audio tour
Details of the painting
Renoir
picture and biography
Information about Renoir
at Humanities Web
The Luncheon of the Boating Party
another painting by Renoir
Biography of Renoir
Renoir
from Teach Newsletter
Art History
online interactive art lesson - elementary
From Renoir to Picasso
online book, see page 23
Girl with Watering Can
Renoir, Pierre-Auguste
Buy this Art Print at AllPosters.com
Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists: Renoir
By Grolier Publishing Company
Introduce your young students to the fabulous and fun world of art with the World's Greatest Artists Series. Full-color reproductions and kid-friendly overviews of the artists' life are presented alongside cartoon-characters of the artist, bringing a clever dimension to the series. Fun and educational, these light yet realistic books make an easy and exciting transition into studying the fine arts. Learn about Renoir's influence on art and see some of his most famous paintings! 32 pages, ages 4-8. Please note that one painting shows partial nudity.
Short Lessons in Art History: Artists and Their Work
By Phyllis Clausen Barker / Walch Education
Short Lessons in Art History is a fantastic introduction to the artists who have shaped the artistic world from Giotto in 1266 to Alexander Calder in 1976. Each artist's life is explored, along with their major works, public reaction, and impact upon the world and art after their deaths. Approximately 3-4 pages are given to each of the 38 artists featured, with black and white images of one of their most famous works. A center section contains full color plates. Glossary words are included at the end of each chapter. 217 pages, softcover. Grades 6-12.
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