Discussion Questions for Renoir, My Father by Jean Renoir
1. The reader of this memoir gets to know the artist Renoir more deeply than from other
books that have been written about him and the Impressionists. What are some of your
impressions of Renoir as a result of reading this book?
2. What have you learned about Renoir as a painter from this book, for example, his choice
of subjects, the style of his portraits and his “impressionism.”?
3. Why did Renoir eliminate the term “artist” from his vocabulary and instead used
“workman-painter”?
4. Renoir had a very well-developed philosophy of life. For example, he thought the “first
duty is to have respect for all life.” What are some other aspects of his philosophy of life
that you noticed particularly?
5. What was Renoir’s answer to the question “…why are the museums thrown open to a
largely ignorant public?” See pp. 57-58
6. Why was Renoir against art that represented ideas or literary subjects? See p. 66 and p.
110 or other pages that relate to this point of view.
7. In Chapter 8, the author mentions several painters whose work Renoir first really liked
and appreciated. Name a couple of examples and tell why you think Renoir appreciated
these artists’ work.
8. What does Renoir mean when he says, “I was being the ‘cork.’”? Jean also refers to
Renoir as “the cork.”
9. Many aspects of Renoir are contradictory. For example, his son Jean says Renoir was
prudish, yet Renoir painted models in the nude and thought the female breast was very
beautiful. Give some other examples of contradiction in Renoir.
10. Why was meeting the painter Bazille so significant for Renoir as a painter? See pages
92-96.
11. Renoir painted with several other painters at Fontainbleau as a young painter. What
inspired these painters in this natural area which would help them develop the new style
of painting? See pp. 115-116.
12. What was Renoir’s point of view of the role of women in society? Would he have been
as prolific and as successful a painter without his wife? Explain your answer.
13. Renoir needed to sell his paintings to make a living for himself and his family, so he
developed a relationship with the art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel. Why was Durand-Ruel
the appropriate dealer for Renoir and the other Impressionists?
14. In 1874, the artists of the new painting had an exhibition at the Boulevard des Capucines.
The art critics gave very negative reviews of the art works in this exhibition, and the
exhibition was a failure. How did Renoir react to this criticism and failure?
15. How did Monet encourage the new painters (Impressionists) to go on painting after the
failure of their first major exhibition in 1874?
16. Renoir believed in “the economy of means.” What does that mean? See p. 322. Renoir
felt that there was always an eternal dilemma between nature and the studio for him as an
artist. What does this mean?
17. Discuss Renoir’s painting method as described on pp. 188-189.
18. How did Renoir feel children should be raised? See pp. 299-300.
19. In this memoir, Jean includes several pages of comments from Renoir’s notebook. What
comment made you take particular notice? See pp. 222-228.
20. Why did the distinction of being awarded the French Legion of Honor cause Renoir
considerable embarrassment? Explain.
21. Renoir suffered from rheumatism for many of his last years of life. How did he deal with
this illness and manage to keep on painting?
22. Renoir wrote the preface to the republication of the Cennino Cennini treatise on painting.
Why did Renoir do this when he always said he did not believe in theories of painting?
23. Jean says that Renoir used the economy of means when painting his last work “Women
Bathers” which hangs in the Louvre. How did this painting fulfill the dream of Renoir’s
whole life? See p. 431.
24. The reader learns about Jean Renoir too as he tells his father’s story. How would you
describe Jean?