Renoir

Starred review from August 7, 2017
White (Renoir: His Life, Art and Letters) delivers a moving biography of French impressionist painter Auguste Renoir (1841–1919), sourced from thousands of letters and hundreds of previously unpublished writings by the artist, his family, and his friends, including many first-generation impressionists. Renoir got his start studying art in the studio of Swiss painter Charles Gleyre at age 21, which experience placed him in the orbit of Manet, Monet, and Degas, with whom he exhibited in their early independent exhibitions. Still, his art was often ridiculed by the critics, and he lived in abject poverty into his mid-40s. By the 1880s, the public had gradually warmed to the impressionistic style. Bolstered by a receptive American public, sympathetic art dealers, and the critical success of now-iconic works such as The Boating Party, Renoir became famous and financially secure enough to finally marry his longtime model and mistress, Aline Charigot. But as his fame increased, his health deteriorated. Severe rheumatoid arthritis left him wheelchair bound, and, his hands rendered nearly useless, he relied entirely on assistants to place his palette and brushes in his hands as he worked. Nevertheless, much to the admiration of his colleagues (Monet especially), he continued painting in spite of his physical ailments, motivated by a selfless desire to impart beauty to the world even as Europe plunged into the cataclysmic inferno of WWI. White’s research is exhaustive, her enthusiasm is infectious, and her style is unaffected, ensuring that this touching biography will enjoy a broad readership encompassing both specialists and general art enthusiasts alike. Color illus.

August 1, 2017
An in-depth biography of the French impressionist painter.White (Impressionists Side by Side: Their Friendships, Rivalries, and Artistic Exchanges, 1996, etc.) is one of the leading authorities on the life and work of Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919), "one of the greatest and most creative artists who ever lived." Here, the author offers an "intimate" look into his life, a narrative fueled by her amassing a cache of more than 3,000 letters. Many are from the families of Renoir's illegitimate daughter, Jeanne, and his three sons, including the great film director Jean (whose own biography of his father White calls "historical fiction"), as well as from fellow artists. They shed particular light on his relationships with key women in his life, especially his wife, female models, and fellow artist Berthe Morisot. In workmanlike prose, White moves forward in seven chronological sections, each representing specific phases of Renoir's career. Throughout, the author presents Renoir as an "inspiring and heroic individual who overcame daunting obstacles." In his early years, he experienced great poverty; when he finally began to find success, he became afflicted with paralyzing rheumatoid arthritis, which turned his fingers and hands into gnarled fists. He would have a brush tied between his fingers so he could continue to paint and smoke his beloved cigarettes, both of which he did relentlessly. Renoir created 4,019 paintings and hundreds of pastels and drawings. He was "complex, maddeningly ambivalent, yet endearing," but he could also be "secretive, shrewd and even sneaky." Though the writing is often dry, White does a fine job of tracing the phases of his career. His work--"permeated with the freedom and joie de vivre of the Impressionists, fused with a classical search for balanced compositions and form"--inspired many painters, including Matisse and Picasso (they almost met). Ideal for readers seeking to delve deeply into Renoir's personality; those seeking critical assessments of the individual works should look elsewhere.

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January 1, 2018

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) is known as one of the leading painters of the impressionist style, but he was so much more. White (Renoir: His Life, Art and Letters; Impressionism in Perspective) presents a well-rounded view of the artist's personal and professional life in her new biography of the artist. For half a century, the author has studied more than 3,000 letters relating to Renoir, meaning she probably knows him better than any other living person. Through this "intimate biography" we learn all about Renoir's intriguing life from years living in poverty to worldwide success, overshadowed by the loss of the use of his fingers. Despite it all, Renoir remained as optimistic as his artwork. His brightly colored paintings reflected his personality completely. While creating thousands of paintings he was able to maintain close relationships with fellow impressionists, art dealers, models, his family, and their families. VERDICT White's readable, intriguing study sheds new light on misconceptions regarding Renoir's personality. Readers with prior knowledge of the artist will love to learn more, while those interested in the impressionists will enjoy peeking into the lives of artists such as Monet, Cezanne, and others.--Rebecca Kluberdanz, New York P.L.

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2017
Reading an artist's letters can add another layer to our appreciation of his or her work. This is especially true of Pierre Auguste Renoir, whose more than 4,000 paintings were created during, and in spite of, decades of poverty followed by decades of progressive paralysis. In the cruelest of ironies, as Renoir's physical condition deteriorated, his paintings took on even more light, life, and color. White (Renoir: His Life, Art and Letters, 2010) has studied Renoir for more than half a century and here draws on some 3,000 letters by, to and about him. Using that correspondence and the fruits of her life's research, she creates a finely nuanced portrait of depth and feeling. For those inspired to seek out Renoir's paintings and study further, there are an appendix listing worldwide locations of his works and a selected bibliography of well-chosen titles. Studded with stirring quotations from unpublished letters and embellished with reproductions of many of Renoir's most-beloved works, this is a jewel of a biography, and it will be treasured by anyone interested in art.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)