Renoir : painter of happiness

Impressions of grandeur: The French Impressionist surveyed in depthBorn in Limoges, France, Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841 1919) was a painter of life, love, and laughter.

In rural landscapes, sun-drenched studies, and abundant female nudes, his oeuvre took the dappled touch of Impressionism into a new sensual realm.During the course of his career, Renoir assimilated and expressed numerous influences and styles.

Early works, created in Paris, tended towards portraiture, and were heavily influenced by Delacroix, Courbet, and Degas.

Later, he pioneered Impressionist traits alongside peers such as Pissaro and Monet with canvases including Bal du Moulin de la Galette and Luncheon of the Boating Party epitomizing the movement s plein air principles and scenes of bourgeois leisure.

As Renoir s reputation and output grew, a sense of classicism began to pervade his paintings, further fueled by trips to Italy to study masterpieces by Titian and Raphael.

In later works, he adopted much more statuesque aesthetics, particularly in relation to his abundant, beloved female models.In this appropriately jumbo edition is a selection of more than 500 works that best demonstrate Renoir s immense talent and historical importance. With a complete chronology, bibliography, and index of works, as well as photos and sketches illustrating Renoir s life and work, TASCHEN s Renoir is the essential reference book for this painter of happiness and poet of love."