Inspired by Auguste Renoir

Pierre Auguste Renoir, the French painter of bucolic, joyful scenes, was one of the leading figures of the Impressionist movement in the 19th century. Born in Limoges, Renoir spent his youth growing up in the center of Paris. From an early age, Renoir demonstrated musical and artistic prowess however, due to the family's financial circumstances, Renoir had to leave school at the age of thirteen to take up an apprenticeship in a porcelain factory to follow in his family's trade. In 1855, Renior began in a porcelain factory on rue du Temple, where the teenager was introduced to porcelain painting. It was the young Renoir's supervisor at the factory who recognized his artistic talent and encouraged his family to support his artistic ambitions. 

Eight years later, Renoir had enough money to enter the École des Beaux-Arts in April 1862. While attending the school, he also attended Charles Gleyre's private studio where he became friends with fellow students Alfred Sisley, Frédéric Bazille and Claude Monet. Initially, Renoir's paintings were rejected by the juries of the Salons, which were the masters of the art market in the 19th century. With Monet, Sisley, Pissarro and several other contemporary artists, Renoir organized the first Impressionist exhibition in April 1874. Although the critical reaction to the exhibition was rather unfavorable, Renoir's work was relatively well received. 

After mounting two successive Impressionist exhibitions, Renoir's work was finally accepted by the Salon and he became a successful painter known throughout France. Nowadays, Renoir is best known for his “nacrée" period of pearlescent painting of figures of pale flesh. Renoir's signature style of painting adopted a softer and smoother touch, with more fluidity and transparency effects that rendered his figures ethereal. Renoir left a considerable body of work in the wake of his prolific career: over 4,000 paintings, more than the works of Manet, Cézanne and Degas combined. Check out some artists on Artsper, inspired by the French Impressionist mastery of the paintbrush in bringing the subjects of his canvases to life.