Pierre-Auguste Renoir, the French Impressionist artist, had a deep affection for cats. His feline companions played a significant role in his life and art. It was a nice symbiotic relationship as is always the case.
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Cats in His Paintings:
- Renoir frequently included cats in his paintings. One notable work is “Mme Charpentier and her Children” (1878), where an almost invisible cat sits on the lap of the matriarch. This painting helped catapult Renoir to national fame.
- Other significant works featuring feline figures include “Woman with a Cat” (ca. 1875) and his 1887 portrait of Julie Manet, daughter of artists Berthe Morisot and Édouard Manet’s brother Eugène Manet.
- In Renoir’s art, cats symbolized feminine sensuality and motherhood, with the artist once saying, “Cats are the only women it is worth talking about.”
Renoir’s Health and Cats:
Renoir suffered from rheumatoid arthritis, which became increasingly severe as he aged. By the time he was 70, he was quite handicapped due to the condition.
Seeking relief, Renoir and his family moved to the Mediterranean coast, hoping the warmer climate would help. Despite his deteriorating health, he continued to paint.
To ease his pain and stay warm, Renoir would keep a cat on his lap while he painted in his wheelchair. The warmth from the cat provided comfort, and their hair even ended up mixed into his paints.
In fact, cat hair trapped in his paint has been used to authenticate Renoir’s work. The Institut Pasteur in Paris used this unique feature to date some of his later paintings.
Towards the end of his life, Renoir required an assistant to place paintbrushes in his hand due to the severity of his arthritis. The love and warmth he received from his feline companions likely kept him painting for longer than he otherwise might have.
Renoir’s cats not only inspired his art but also provided him with solace during challenging times. Their presence allowed him to continue creating beautiful masterpieces despite his physical limitations. 🎨🐱
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Renoir applied a wide variety of coping mechanisms and used his ingenuity to come up with different ways to continue painting even as his arthritis weakened him.
Study: Impairment and disability: Renoir’s adaptive coping strategies against rheumatoid arthritis.
