RENOIR-PAINTER OF HAPPINESS

TASCHEN 25 - Special Edition! The most comprehensive retrospective ofRenoir's work "Why shouldn't art be pretty? There are enough unpleasant things in theworld." — Pierre-Auguste Renoir Pierre-Auguste Renoir's timelessly charming paintings still reflect ourideals of happiness, love, and beauty. TASCHEN's Renoir: Painter ofHappiness, the most comprehensive retrospective of his work yet published,examines the personal history and motivation behind the legend. Though hebegan by painting landscapes in the Impressionist style, Renoir (1841-1919)found his true affinity once he started painting portraits, after which heabandoned the Impressionists altogether. Though often misunderstood andcriticized, Renoir remains one of history's most well-lovedpainters—undoubtedly because his works exude such warmth, tendernessand good cheer. In an incisive text tracing the artist's career and stylistic evolution,Gilles Néret shows how Renoir reinvented the female form in painting, withhis everyday goddesses and their plump forms, rounded hips and breasts.This last phase in Renoir's work, in which he returned to the simplepleasure of painting the female nude in his baigneuses series, was his mostinnovative and stylistically influential, and an inspiration to bothMatisse and Picasso. With a complete chronology, bibliography, index of works, and 600sumptuous, large-format color reproductions, as well as photos and sketchesillustrating Renoir's life and work, here is the essential work ofreference on this enduring master artist. About the author: Gilles Néret (1933-2005) was an art historian, journalist, writer andmuseum correspondent. He organized several art retrospectives in Japan andfounded the SEIBU museum and the Wildenstein Gallery in Tokyo. He directedart reviews such as L'Œil and Connaissance des ArtsElie Faure Prizein 1981 for his publications. His TASCHEN titles include Salvador Dalí: ThePaintings, Matisse, and Erotica Universalis. Hardcover, 24 x 31.6 cm (9.4x 12.4 in.), 440 pages Edition: English