Pierre-Auguste Renoir: 11 works

'Contrary to what one may think, this canvas was not painted in the countryside but in the garden of Renoir's new studio in Montmartre. His friend George Rivière recalled: 'As soon as Renoir entered the house, he was charmed by the view of this garden, which looked like a beautiful abandoned park.'

'Renoir's colors reflect the freshness and radiance of the impressionist palette, while his handling is more controlled and regular than in his landscapes, with even brushstrokes applied in delicate touches, especially in the girl's face.'

'Play of contrasts Renoir aims to get as close as possible to reality, but in his observations he includes everything that stimulates the senses -- light, colour, movement, atmosphere.'

'Compared to other Impressionists such as Monet, Sisley and Pissarro, Renoir, who enjoyed painting figures, did not produce many landscapes, In his experiments to capture the bright outdoor light through short, disconnected brush strokes, however, he did create a few outstanding landscapes. Here, with short, almost Pointillistic bruch strokes, he skillfully brings out the green of the forest and the feeling of the surrounding atmosphere.'

'Starting in 1881 the art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel regularly bought paintings from Renoir.'

'He carefully rendered the laces of the girls' boots, the younger sitter's black ribbon necklace, and even the flower on the brim of the straw bonnet. An Impressionist masterpiece, the double portrait depicts the daughters of Paul Durand-Ruel--a Parisian art dealer who championed the work of artists like Renoir.'

'The painting depicts Renoir's first-born son, Pierre, born in 1885.'

'This uncommissioned painting displays the thick, hatched strokes, strong colors, and porcelain-like skin tones typical of Renoir's high-society portraits.'

'This river landscape near the village of Pont-Aven, Brittany, demonstrates his exquisite sensitivity to natural phenomena, such as the movement of water and the reflection of light.'

'Very seldom did he actually have them pose, as his youngest boy Claude did here and as his other son, Jean, did in 1910 for the painting entitled Jean in Hunting Outfit.'

'Women in the nude, which he continued to portray insatiately, were no other than an eternal theme and eulogy of life to Renoir.'