Through the Eyes of Renoir
Meet the man and put yourself in his paintings
Rolling freely about his studio in his quaint wheelchair or scampering giddily about the second floor balcony of the Fournaise Restaurant, the man who "using the pleasures of his eyes" has created wonderful bouquets of women and of flowers, intimately shares with his audience the triumphs and trials of his life, while delightfully painting The Luncheon of the Boating Party. "I was itching to do it for a very long time, because I didn't want to delay this little feast."
"Never serious, always on holiday", Renoir's 65 minute monologue is accompanied by vivid slides of his work, by demonstrations of his artistic concerns, and by re-enactments with volunteers from the audience of some of his famous paintings, including The Two Sisters,
The most universally-beloved of the impressionists, Renoir's life wa proofthat nice people don't always finish last. The gentle Renoir was well-liked by his colleagues, a good family-man, appreciated by both impressionist and conservative art lovers, and therefore enjoyed earlier success than any of his friends.
Renoir expressed through his painting, his child-like delight with the visible world of everyday life.
Son of a tailor and a dress-maker, the only major impressionist from the working class, Renoir was apprenticed to a porcelain painter and learned to paint in the style of the 18th century, that of the Rococo artists. He never lost this light, soft and graceful approach to depicting people or landscapes. His soft, pretty subjects are caressed by his brush as if teasing the painting surface with a multitude of butterfly wings.
Often living through periods of pain and hard times, Renoir compensated by painting the best of times. His choice of simple subjects, such as children, motherhood and women, give his paintings a universal quality. He strongly felt that art works should be cherished for their prettiness, their purpose being to delight the viewer.
Discover why he suddenly changed his style after his trip to Italy. Listen to how valuable his friends had been during wartime and how instrumental one feisty friend had been in keeping his spirits up in the face of mounting criticism.
Feast your eyes with Renoir in this production, designed to inspire you to delight in this world, to overcome hardships with visions of beauty, and to love what you do and do what you love.
Memorable quotations
Michelangelo Buonnaroti
Auguste Rodin
Vincent Van Gogh
Leonardo da Vinci
Claude Monet