He excelled across all genres, one of few painters of the time to do so. He was, and remains, one of the greatest European painters of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Post-impressionism
A short illustrated history of Renoir’s career as a landscape painter, from Barbizon to La Grenouillère, Post-Impressionism and the influence of Corot and Cézanne.
Crippled by his arthritis, he couldn’t stop painting. Landscapes became more radical, and he painted more bathers. Some of Renoir’s last and most radical works.
He falls in love with Cagnes, moving first to a rented flat, then to a house built for him amid ancient olive trees. And he painted furiously.
In which Renoir seeks comfort from his arthritis in the south of France, first in Le Cannet, then Cagnes-sur-Mer. Marvellous landscapes.
He continued to develop his style and technique in landscapes, with a remarkable lightness of touch, and figures shown as cutouts from their background.
His bathers and portraits remained very popular, with their soft focus. His landscapes remained more experimental, thankfully.
The Umbrellas, a portrait of Julie Manet, three landscapes painted alongside Paul Cézanne near Aix – some of the best paintings from these years.
Extensive travelling, from Venice to Algeria, brought a varied range of landscapes, as his portraits and figurative work paid the bills.
Some of his masterpieces: Bal du moulin de la Galette in Montmartre, Luncheon of the Boating Party, and an extraordinary landscape.
