Pierre-Auguste Renoir, considered as the father of Impressionism. Master painter and printmaker, he is probably the most popular, well-known artist from the Impressionist era. In 1859, he moved to Paris to study painting at the renowned School of the Beaux Arts, where he befriended Claude Monet and Alfred Sisley. He was the only Impressionist accepted into the juried exhibition, Le Salon, a total of five times. He subsequently took part in the first exhibition of the Impressionists in 1874, along side of Monet, Manet, Pissarro, Sisley, Berthe Morisot, and other famous Masters.

Renoir traveled around Europe in search of knowledge and inspiration from the old Masters, such as Rubens, Ingres, Raphael, and Rembrandt. He was particularly drawn to their use of color as the defining element that rendered light and structure within a painting. Renoir, even though he possessed the ability that would have allowed him to distinguish himself as an engraver, had grown up with a paintbrush in his hand and had concentrated painting. Therefore, his etchings are significant in their rarity. He played a key role in the production of his etchings. He was involved to the degree of being the creator for the fabrication of every impression, inking, and pressing. Between 1890 and 1910, only 59 different images consisting of etchings, lithographs, and drypoints were created by Renoir. There are varying editions of each original etching; never again will another be indicted.

To Renoir’s mind, the arts were one. To paint was to exercise a natural faculty. He painted out of a need to paint, for self-gratification and enjoyment. As an Impressionist, he had a profound knowledge of drawing. As a man, he became one of the greatest artists of our time, as an artist he became a Master.