Renoir, Pierre-Auguste (1841-1919)
Léonard Renoir, le père de l’artiste (Léonard Renoir, the Artist’s Father)
1869
Oil on canvas, 62.2 x 47 cm
Saint Louis Art Museum, St. Louis
Painted when the artist was twenty-eight, Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s work represents his seventy year-old father, who was a tailor from Limoges in the south-west of France. In contrast to his later work, the artist’s palette here is restrained, focusing on nuanced shades of black and white, offset by pink flesh tones. This work was painted when Renoir, in difficult financial circumstances, was living with his parents and suggests his father’s stern personality. (SLAM)
See also:
• Renoir, Léonard (1799-1874)