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A Great Grandson's Homage to the Impressionist Master |
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You are Cordially Invited to an Exhibition of
Renoir, A Legacy
A Great-Grandsons Homage
to the Impressionist Master
Friday Evening
May 6th, 2011
Six Thirty
Alexandre Renoir will be in attendance
A Special Viewing and Lecture will be presented by
Alexandre Renoir
May 7th, 2011
Saturday Twelve Noon
Valet Available at Two Rodeo Parking Complex
(Dayton Way Entrance)
RSVP 310-273-3377 Champagne and Hors d'oeuvres
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Enfants Jouant a la Balle, c. 1900
 Children Playing with a Ball is considered by many to be one of Renoir's supreme achievements in lithography. Full of energy and movement, Renoir captures the rough and tumble games of the small girls while at the same time constructing a composition which is both balanced and dynamic. As the two children in the foreground scramble for the ball drawing our eyes down and left, the two other girls are upright and moving freely in the upper right quadrant of the work creating a kind of visual "see-saw". One cannot also help thinking that Renoir, confined almost entirely to a wheel-chair because of advanced rheumatoid arthritis, would have longed to been more than just an observer.The delicate pastel tonalities of the work and the pale blue of the sky beyond combine to create a quintessential Impressionist work .
Lithograph in colors on laid Arches with Ingres watermark, MBM. Edition of 200.
23 3/8" x 20 1/8"
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Le Chpeau Epingle, 2e Planche, c. 1989
 Renoir's "Le Chapeau Epingle" 1898 is without question, among the great masterpieces of Impressionism in lithography, and one of the two largest works in Renoir's graphic oeuvre.
In Renoir's circle, a number of artists delighted in painting, drawing, or producing prints of family and friends-especially where children were involved. The lithographic stone offered the artist great latitude; he could draw with a crayon, wash tones in with a brush, and scratch with a pen or other materials, making such effects possible as those we see in Le Chapeau Epingle. Renoir produced a fair number of etchings and black & white lithographs, but at the time of his death he had completed only four large masterworks in color.
Renoir treated this theme of two young girls side by side, one of them pinning on the other's hat. His models are known to have been Julie Manet, daughter Berthe Morisot and her husband Eug�ne Manet, the artist's brother, and her cousin Paulette Gobillard. What makes Le Chapeau Epingl� such an important print in Renoir's oeuvre is that it contains the key elements so often found in his best work; the young girls, the special moment, the soft gestures of the hands and faces, and the wonderful Belle-Epoque hats. Color lithograph in eight colors 23 1/2" x 19 1/4" |
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L'Enfant au Biscuit (Jean Renoir), c. 1899
Jean Renoir, the artist's second son, is represented here nibbling at a biscuit. When this fresh and appealing portrait was made, the artist was living with his family in Montmarte, in an old house known as the Chateau des Bruillards.
Jean Renoir later became a famous film director. He was born in 1894, the year his father made the acquaintance of Ambroise Vollard. Renoir drew this lithograph in 1898.
Color lithograph on Ingres d'Arches laid paper. Proof of the opnly state printed in five or six colors prior to the edition of 100. 13" x 10" |
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"The dedication and integrity of my great grandfather is an inspiration to me, the time and effort he put into making his masterpieces is something that I hope to achieve.
Although many years are yet to come for me, the scope of work that I look forward to creating brings apprehension and anticipation. It is my honor to be able to be here in such August company. Thank you. "
-Alexandre Renoir |
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La Danse ...
 Pierre-Auguste Renoir's softground etching, to the right, is considered one of the preparatory works he created for the larger painting, representing Suzanne Valadon and perhaps Renoir's brother Edmond (some say it is his friend Paul Lhote) dancing at a popular place of resort on the Seine, a few miles outside of Paris, where young people gathered on Sundays for dancing, boating and country amusements.
The pencil drawing of La Danse, which Renoir took as his model is, of course, in reverse with respect to the etching. This shows that the artist studied the presentation of the dancing couple from two different angles. Renoir chose the soft-ground medium as corresponding more closely to his drawing, since this etching technique permits the artist to work with a drawing pencil on a sheet of paper laid on the grounded copper plate.
This is a charming piece, even though there is a lingering stiffness in the dress and the figure of the young woman, which does not exist in the painting. The woman's hand tenderly placed on the back of the man's neck; the parted fingers are full of grace and femininity. After remaining at a very reasonable level during the past twenty years, the value of this small Renoir is now steadily mounting. The reason for this lies in the growing interest taken in such work by a public that is now better informed.
To the right you can see Alexandre Renoir's La Danse a Bougival d'apres Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Here you can directly see the homage Alex makes to his Great Grandfather not only in subject but through the delicate whimsical and soft figural lines. Although there are obvious differences between the two works, one of which is the artistic application of the medium - color oil paint vs the grey soft ground etching - creating more vibrancy and movement than the Master Impressionist, PA Renoir. Another major difference is Alexandre's use of the pallet knife with the brush to create depth and illusion of light bringing a 3 dimensionality to a 2 dimensional plane.
Alex brings in his own artistic style and view in this painting. While he may have used the subject as his template he went further in adding his personal touches, changes and personality making this a unique work. By stylizing the subject more towards Alex's painting than the Great Masters, Alex has overly exaggerated the softness of the female body and stiffened the male embrace bringing in to play contemporary social aspects of the relationship.
For more information please contact the gallery.
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GALERIE MICHAEL
224 North Rodeo Drive
(Located on the Via Rodeo)
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
310-273-3377 |
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