Renoir: His Life, Art, and Letters (Abradale) [Hardcover]

Barbara Ehrlich White (Author)

Book Description

Series: Abradale | Publication Date: September 15, 1988

For twenty years, White has devoted much of her life to searching out unpublished letters, drawings and documents that reveal Renoir's life as an artist and as a man. 400 illustrations, with 125 in color, include seldom reproduced works as well as intimate photos of Renoir's family and homes.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This stunning book is a lavish celebration of Renoir's life, exploring his early formative years and his rapid progression into one of the world's most highly respected Impressionist painters. More than 250 of the artist's better known works are reproduced with amazing clarity, and are a testament to Renoir's diverse talent and imagination. From his subtle, tender images of children in paintings such as Girls at the Piano and The Letter, to his full-textured and opulent paintings such as Sleeping Odalisque and Ode to Flowers, Renoir really was the Workman of Painting. --Naomi Gesinger

Review

"White's biography lets us look at Renoir's life work in an
entirely new light. Hundreds of letters by the painter, his friends, critics, and patrons --
many previously unpublished, most in English for the first time -- offer a first-hand
glimpse of his frustrations and triumphs." --PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (added by author)

Art critic Robert Taylor: "RENOIR. . . is a remarkable task of scholarship accomplished by a Tufts scholar who has sifted through hundreds of letters and basic source materials concerning the artist. But it is also a highly readable account, which ought to change the way we look at Renoir." --Boston Globe (added by author)

Lisa Lane: "Barbara White, a renowned Renoir scholar, masterfully contrasts his difficulties as an individual with the gentle, colorful works he produced .... The text [is] a delight to read." --Christian Science Monitor (added by author)

Art critic Edward J. Sozanski: "White's . . . biography of the most popular of the impressionists, a project that took 23 years to complete, is not only timely but practically required reading. The most comprehensive examination of Renoir's life yet, it relies heavily on original sources, particularly letters. White has uncovered nearly 1,000 of the latter, including 213 previously unpublished ones .... RENOIR is a testament to White's industriousness." --Philadelphia Inquirer (added by author)

Malcolm Forbes: "Stunning reproductions and extraordinary scholarship that correlates beautifully the life and letters of Impressionism's most widely appreciated master." --Forbes Magazine (added by author)

Lee Grove: "Barbara Ehrlich White, a Tufts professor who has already won an Emmy for a television script on the life of Renoir, goes for gold once again with the handsome result of 20 years of research: this sturdy biography and appreciation of the impressionist master." --Boston Magazine (added by author)

Books of the Times, Christopher Lehmann-Haupt: "Barbara White's documentary life of Renoir serves to integrate the joyful oeuvre with the not always so happy times of the artist." --The New York Times (added by author)

Wendy Smith: "Tracking these sources down and organizing them into a coherent whole was a task of monumental proportions." --Author Interview in Publishers Weekly (added by author)

"A thorough and commendably lucid biography of the great French painter." --Time Magazine (added by author)

Review by Art Historian Gabriel P. Weisberg, "The book remains a compassionate, articulate and moving survey of a very complex figure. After reading the text, one's perceptions of Renoir's place in art history and his significance as a human being are significantly altered and enlarged... .The book goes far towards clarifying his place and contribution without sacrificing the mechanics of scholarship. This volume shows Renoir demystified and humanized by considering how he actually created and what he was thinking at pertinent phases of his life." --The Burlington Magazine (added by author) --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 312 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams; 1988 Edition edition (September 15, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810980886
• ISBN-13: 978-0810980884
• Product Dimensions: 14 x 10.7 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #462,953 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #90 in Books > Arts & Photography > Schools, Periods & Styles > Post-Impressionism

More About the Author

Barbara Ehrlich White was a member of the Tufts University faculty from 1965-2002, where she lectured on art history. In addition to Renoir: His Life, Art, and Letters, first published in 1984, White is the author of Knopf's Impressionists Side By Side and numerous journal articles. In the course of her career, she won many grants and awards, and wrote several television scripts on Renoir, one of which won an Emmy.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spectacular size adds to enjoyment of Renoir's work., March 8, 2007

By 

N. Lewis "Fireandearth" (Boone, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Renoir: His Life, Art, and Letters (Abradale) (Hardcover)

A real delight to go through this book by myself or with others and a cup of coffee. The size allows one to view and exclaim over his techniques, composition, color and artistic gifts. A must have for Art History lovers.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A truly seminal work, February 12, 2010

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Renoir: His Life, Art, and Letters (Hardcover)

Pierre-August Renoir is an icon of 19th century European art. During his long life he created literally thousands of paintings, drawings, sketches and watercolors. His productivity was unmatched by any of his contemporaries. Now academician and art historian Barbara Ehrlich White has written "Renoir: His Life, Art, And Letters", a superbly illustrated, 312-page survey of his artistic accomplishments, as well as an informed and informative biography of both his personal and his professional life. The result of more than twenty years of impressively detailed research that draws upon both public and private historical resources (including the artists unpublished letters and personal documents), readers will learn a great deal of hitherto obscure facts about Renoir's life and times, including his struggle against crippling arthritis, the loss of formerly supportive patrons when he pioneered in new styles of artistic expression, and so much more! The text is profusely embellished with 391 flawlessly presented illustrations, of which 125 are in full color and three are 'gatefolds'. A truly seminal work, "Renoir: Hist Life, Art, And Letters" is an essential addition to personal, academic, and community library European Art History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Renoir: His Life, Art and Letters, August 9, 2010

By 

Marsha and Roger (Everett, WA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Renoir: His Life, Art and Letters (Hardcover)

Large, very complete book on Renoir filled with information from people who knew him well. Incredible value as a used hardback.