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"ONE DOES NOT PAINT WITH ONE'S HANDS"The above were the famous words of Renoir, actually meant to be a rebuke when he was asked how he painted with paralyzed fingers. Towards the end of his life, Renoir was plagued by a number of diseases which limited his movements. But this did not limit his mind or heart as he continued to paint till the very end.
Pierre Auguste Renoir was one of the great impressionist painters and his works
are highly intellectual. He started painting at the age of 13 and let his work
decide his course. During his formative years, his work was not applauded, but
when his work began to display the right kind of emotion later, there were many
takers.
Like most impressionists, Renoir preferred to have a soft palette, delicate
and intricate brush work and delicious colors.
His masterpieces include some great treasures like The swing, Dancing at the
Moulin de la Galett, Girls at the piano…. The list is long and exhaustive.
As mentioned above, Renoir faced a lot of problems in his later years and these
could have restricted him from indulging in his one true passion. But he was
a hard fighter and he worked till he breathed. His last work was Bathers and
it was completed only in 1918. There is something very different about this
painting. Normally such a title would invoke images of nubile nymphets frolicking
around. But Renoir's version is something else altogether. It is very evident
that he was returning to his roots- expressionism in its starkest form. The
painting depicts two nude women, but the women are not exactly the normal man's
fantasy. In fact, they have heavy thighs, inflated and round bellies.
There is nothing very flattering in the paintings and in this lies its specialty.
What Renoir shows us is what the actual average woman looks like and the honesty
of the painting is quite refreshing. Also, the attention paid to the minutest
aspect of detailing is also overwhelming.
It is very hard to imagine that he painted that right before his death. But
then again, he was Renoir.
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