Portrait du Pere de Renoir

(After) Pierre August Renoir (1841 - 1919) "Portrait du Pere de Renoir" - This is a heliogravure on paper that is a respectful depiction of the artist's father, Leonard. The matted and framed work measures 21" x 18," the image is 10" x 7.5" and comes from a limited edition of 375 created following an edition of 100 published in a book shortly after the artist's death.

"Portrait du Pere de Renoir" was an original oil painting created in 1869 by Renoir that is now in the collection of the St. Louis Art Museum. The image represents his seventy year-old father, who was a tailor from Limoges in the south-west of France. In contrast to his later work, the artist’s palette here is restrained, focusing on nuanced shades of black and white, offset by pink flesh tones. This work was painted when Renoir, in difficult financial circumstances, was living with his parents and suggests his father’s stern personality. The image was selected for the book, "La Vie et L'Ouevre de Pierre-Auguste Renoir," (The Life and Work of Renoir) containing 52 engravings from copper plates, and published (in a limited edition of 100) shortly after Renoir's death in 1919 by Ambrose Vollard, Paris.