Thursday, January 20, 2011

Artist of the Day - Day 18 - Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Pierre-Auguste Renoir; Painter, Easily “Impressed”

Renoir was one of the leading French impressionist painters during the 19th century, and his delicate touches to many of his paintings put him on par with many other masters of that period (such as Manet, Degas, and Monet).  He created these wonderful paintings, that if done today as photography we would call them “snapshots”; in essence a ‘normal’ moment in life (such as a dance, kids posing on a balcony, a couple going to the theater, etc.), but captured in such a manner to really show their humanity and create a strong connection with the viewer.  He used delicate, soft tones to blend the subjects together and make a “dream-like” impression with many of his works.  He even took his work outside of the studio and worked outdoors (which was tricky back then, because the environment could change dramatically from when the painting was started to when it was finished – compared to the controlled environment of a studio). 

One of the aspects of Renoir that I enjoy so much is the personal feel of the subjects he paints.  While he does many posed shots, the subjects look so at easy and relaxed.  As a photographer, that is the “zone” that we are always trying to get when taking picture of people, where they are so comfortable that they forget that the camera (or painter, in Renoir’s case) is even there. 



Wikipedia
Pierre-Auguste Renoir Biography

1 comment:

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