Art Appreciation 101: Renoir

The Late Renoir exhibit opens today at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. This traveling exhibition is comprised of more that 80 pieces by the Impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir including paintings, drawings, and sculptures. The exhibit will run through September 6th and Philadelphia is its only East Coast stop. The same exhibit was a well-reviewed success in Paris last fall where the WSJ noted it was “the most keenly anticipated show of the season.” For more information see: http://www.philamuseum.org/. Through museum membership it is possible to get free tickets for this show.


Girl in a Red Ruff, 1896

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, French

Oil on canvas

PCL resources to help viewers appreciate Renoir:
*Pierre Auguste Renoir
*Renoir and his art
*Impressionism (Recent NF)– This is an art book from Taschen with the standard full page photos and easy to read descriptions. It give an overview of the late 19th century Impressionist art movement in which artists such as Mary Cassatt, Degas, Monet, and Seurat captured moments of modern bourgeois society in reflective light and with soft edges. PCL has several new Taschen art books on the recent non-fiction shelves.
*Painting the impressionist landscape : lessons in interpreting light and color (Recent NF)– Contains explanations of technique and exercises to help painters learn the skills recalling the impressionist movement.