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Gr 2-4-Another easy-to-read biography of a famous artist. Full-color reproductions of 16 of Renoir's paintings appear throughout, including A Girl with a Watering Can, along with 9 works by his contemporaries. There are also five of Venezia's characteristic cartoons of speculative events from the artist's life (hiding under the queen's train to illustrate his childhood games in the courtyard of the Louvre, or greeting the public after his painting style became popular). Especially useful is the way the author shows Renoir's art in relation to the French Salon and to the other Impressionists. Paintings of the same scene by Renoir and Claude Monet are reproduced on facing pages, and do more to describe the Impressionist style than many paragraphs of text. The color reproduction is good; the typeface large and readable. There is no bibliography or index. More accessible to younger students than Rosabianca Skira-Venturi's A Weekend with Renoir (Rizzoli, 1991), Venezia's title is a useful series entry.-Pam Gosner, formerly at Maplewood Memorial Library, NJ
Copyright 1996 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The young have a good time with Renoir's joy of life scenes,
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This review is from: Pierre Auguste Renoir (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists) (Paperback)
"Occasionally, Renoir would paint landscapes and still lifes, but his favorite subjects were always people.", p. 29The young reader will learn about Renoir's birth in Limoges, France; his family's move to Paris when he was young; his early drawings using his tailor father's chalk; his working years in a workshop painting decorations on china; his learning the formal method of painting in the studio of Charles Gleyre; and his participation in the creation of the "Impressionism". Renoir was a rarity in that he was successful at painting in many styles. He was very versatile. Most painters lock themselves into a painting method and stick with it for awhile. All their paintings during that period of time use the same method. Renoir locked into what he painting and let it determine the method. If he were painting outdoors, he would choose impressionism with an emphasis on people having a good time more so than the outdoor setting. If he were doing a portrait, he would typically choose the older style but with less formality. His chose of method would be similar to a photographer choosing to use black and white film for certain shots and color film for others. Children are very sensitive to their surroundings. Their response can at time be instantaneous. They go with the moment and therefore will appreciate Renoir's similar approach. My favorite painting in the book is Renoir's "Umbrellas". He let the figures chose the method. He chose impressionism for the more formally attired, and he utilized a more formal method for the less formally dressed woman on errands with her basket. Venezia's illustrations are humorous. His narrative is delightfully entertaining. His approach brings the artist within reach of the young. His embellishment of the variety of surfaces on which the young Renoir chose to draw with chalk is creatively done. The size of the book is perfect for smaller hands. It enables the young to have art within their grasp. Venezia gives the locations of the paintings and as result if the child lives near one of the museums or will be near one on vacation, she/he would be able to see the original. This is the 20th in Venezia's "Getting to know the World's Greatest Artist" series. His series is a wonderful way for the young to be first introduced to the brilliance of artists. He also has a similar series on composers. Venezia's back cover illustration ties back to the subject. "While studying Renoir and the Impressionist movement of the 19th century, Mike was inspired to ...". The price of the book is well worth paying. Venezia includes pieces by the artist, pieces by the artist's colleagues and art styles referenced. The book contains the following: Renoir's paintings (16); Venezia's illustrations (6); Others' paintings (8) and paintings on a vase (1).
5.0 out of 5 stars
Renoir's work,
By Stephen Pellerine (In a bookshelf somewhere) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Pierre Auguste Renoir (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists) (Paperback)
No question for me that this is a 5 star book if you are attempting to share art work and develop a sense of art appreciation in a child. The entire series is a very good value, I feel. The images included are well representative of Renoir's work and a nice timeline from his birth in 1841 to his death at the age of 78 is briefly outlined in this short overview.
If you are looking at this you are probably attempting to develop a sense of art appreciation of simply open your child's mind to the world around them. If it's the art aspect you are after order more from the series while here in Amazon. If it's the world aspects you are keen on then this book will also be a great success, I think. It's not a research book for a grad student in art - but one in such a field would probably appreciate this.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A terrific series,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Pierre Auguste Renoir (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists) (Paperback)
I bought all of the books in this series for our homeschool art curriculum. They are easy to read and a fun supplement that can lead to a nice trip to the Smithsonian Gallery of Art.
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