Renoir is inspired to paint "Luncheon of the boating party" when his other work is criticized by Emile Zola, and while doing so is drawn into lives of the thirteen people featured in it as they enjoy a Parisian summer during the late 1800s.

"Today, Renoir is known for his masterful paintings. But, at the beginning of his artistic career, he painted plates and cups! Readers are introduced to this important French Impressionist through interesting biographical information and accessible discussion of the techniques he used to achieve his beautiful works, including Bouquet of Chrysanthemums and The Frog Pond. Full-color images of his work accompany the at-level text. An activity at the...

A brief biography of the artist accompanies color reproductions and analyses of fifteen of his works.

Renoir became hugely popular despite great obstacles: thirty years of poverty followed by thirty years of progressive paralysis of his fingers. Despite these hardships, much of his work is optimistic, even joyful. Close friends who contributed money, contacts, and companionship enabled him to overcome these challenges to create more than 4,000 paintings. Renoir had intimate relationships with fellow artists (Caillebotte, Cezanne, Monet, and Morisot),...