Renoir. The great, nineteenth century French painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir was born in Limoges on the 25th February 1841.

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The great, nineteenth century French painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir was born in Limoges on the 25th February 1841. Renoir came from a rather narrow middle class background. His family moved to Paris in 1845, hopping for better prospects, they did not get them. Renoir had almost 60 years of his life as an artist, during this time he is said to have produced about 6000 pictures. With the exception of Picasso, this was the most profitable achievement of any painter.

When Renoir first showed signs of being talented at painting and drawing, he could only make use of his gift by working in a china factory. At the age of 13 he worked in a porcelain factory painting flowers and shepherd scenes onto coffee cups, bowls plates and tea & coffeepots. Renoir only spent four years as a porcelain painter.

He then turned to painting lady’s fans and church banners. His work’s soon began to ear him money and by the time he was 21 he had enough money to join the College of Fine Art in Paris. Renoir’s paintings turned out to be the most daring and progressive, of the class.

Certain objects lent themselves more than others to Renoir’s style of painting and drawing. Such things were tree foliage, flowers, water, clouds, smoke and skirts. Characters were meant to look graceful but casual.

Renoir went on to become a great impressionist. He painted all aspects of real life that he saw and approved of. Aspects like portraits, individual figures, dances, still life, country walks, landscapes and the hustle & bustle of the city.

Renoir was taught by a number of professors, but his real teacher was Charles Gleyre who, twenty years before, had become famous for a rather frosty allegorical picture.

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Above all, Renoir used to go to private classes with Glyre, taught outside the  Ecole  and in which thirty or forty students drew or painted nude models. Thanks to his previous experience Renoir was very confident and eager to complete each task to the best of his ability. Whether it was by nature or the rococo paintings he had copied previously, he loved strong and glowing colours. These colours, however were not perticulary popular at the time.

During the very first week Renoir fell out with Gleyre and years later Renoir commented ‘I had done my utmost to paint ...

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