Auguste Renoir - Masterpieces by the "Painter of Happiness"
As one of the most important artists of his epoch, he revolutionised 19th-century painting within a few years, together with fellow artists such as Claude Monet, Edouard Manet and Camille Pissarro. What particularly distinguished Renoir was the consistently positive mood of his paintings: The landscapes painted in bright colours, the cheerful societies, and the sensual nudes spread pure joie de vivre. "The earth was the paradise of the gods. That is what I want to paint," he once wrote. He remained true to this cheerful atmosphere until the end: "There are enough unpleasant things in the world - why not take it easy once in a while?"
Renoir continued to live the optimism of his pictures in the real world. At around 50, he developed arthritis, but despite the pain, paralysis and deformities, he still produced around 400 paintings. At last, when he could no longer hold the brush, he tied it to his hand to continue to paint.
With an estimated 6,000 works, Pierre-Auguste Renoir is one of the most productive painters in art history.
