Renoir: Painter of Happiness

by Gilles Néret

La vie en rose. The world's happiest paintings. Auguste Renoir's timelessly charming paintings are the embodiment of happiness, love, and beauty. TASCHEN's Renoir, the most complete retrospective book of this painter's work, examines in detail the history and motivation behind the legend. Though he began his career painting landscapes in the impressionist style, Renoir (1841-1919) found his true affinity only after he began painting portraits, for which he abandoned the impressionists altogether. Though he was often misunderstood and criticized, Renoir remains one of history's most well-loved painters-undoubtedly because of the warmth and happy cheer his paintings exude. In his insightful text which details the artist's entire career and traces his stylistic evolution, Gilles Néret insists that Renoir reinvented the woman in painting through his everyday goddesses with overly plump, round hips and breasts; this last phase in Renoir's work, in which he returned to the simple pleasure of painting the female nude in his baigneuses series, was his most innovative and stylistically influential (it can even be said that it later inspired Matisse and Picasso). With a complete chronology, bibliography, index of works, and 600 gorgeous, large-format color reproductions, as well as photos and sketches illustrating Renoir's life and work, TASCHEN's Renoir is the essential reference book for this master painter.

Genres: Art, History, Nonfiction, Biography, Art History

440 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2001

About the author

Gilles Néret (1933 - August 3, 2005) was a French art critic and historian, journalist and curator. He wrote extensively on the history of erotica.

He organized several art retrospectives in Japan and founded the SEIBU museum and the Wildenstein Gallery in Tokyo. He directed art reviews such as L’Oeil and Connaissance des Arts and received the Elie Faure Prize in 1981 for his publications. Since 1992, Néret was an editor for Taschen, for which he has written catalogues raisonnés of the works of Klimt and others, as well as the author of Erotica Universalis.

Reviews

[Mikey B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Luncheon of the Boating Party 1881
Phillips Collection, Washington DC


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Madame Georges Charpentier and her Children
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York


As the book title indicates Renoir was a contented person. He had none of the torment of Van Gogh or the angst of Gaugin. His paintings exude happiness. The landscapes colourful and serene. His paintings of crowd scenes, whether in cafes or streets or the opera illustrate the joys of humanity gathering together to enjoy life. His nudes show an ease within themselves. And his portraits – more so of children – give off a beautiful radiance.



A Girl with Watering Can
National Gallery of Art, Washington DC



Young Girl Bathing
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York


Renoir could never stop painting, even in his last years when his hands were afflicted by arthritis and the brush had to be placed in his hands.

This book has many personal commentaries on Renoir (other artists, buyers, and his son Jean Renoir and Auguste Renoir himself). It has many wonderful illustrations of Renoir’s paintings.



Odalisque
National Gallery of Art, Washington DC



Pont Neuf, Paris
National Gallery of Art, Washington DC