Renoir

This slim volume by Fox focuses on a handful of paintings by Renoir rather than on his life. While there is a brief essay discussing Renoir's art and influence, the majority of the book includes plates on the right side with a discussion of the painting on the left. It is highly selective and misses more paintings than it covers.

Gaunt provides an overview of the life of Pierre Auguste Renoir and then provides 50 plates showing the artist's work. The text was a bit boring, but one can see the evolution of Renoir's painting over time. Renoir, while classified as an impressionist, transcends the genre. I learned that his hands were crippled by arthritis in his latter years and that he suffered paralysis as a result of the arthritis. It is so sad because I'd love to see what he might have created if he'd had full range of motion. This is an older book, but still useful for the biographical information.