Pierre Auguste Renoir (Revised Edition) (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists) Paperback – January 15, 2016

Homeschooling art has been one of my greatest homeschool successes. Specifically, we instituted “Artist of the Month” as part of our homeschool curriculum. Information learned stayed learned (always a victory).First, I bought the "Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Artists" book about our Artist of the Month. We own 22 of these. They are uniformly excellent. Images featuring the artist’s most famous work are interspersed with the artist’s life story.Second, I bought poster board and those little Dover booklets of postcards featuring art by our Artist of the Month (where available - and Dover does carry a lot of them). I let the kids go to town on making a poster of the Artist of the Month using these supplies. The important point here was process not product, to get them to interact with the images, not to get them to produce the perfect poster. This poster would then be on display throughout the month.(Previous months’ posters landed under my daughter’s bed. One day, she showed one of these posters to a friend. I heard from the mom shortly thereafter. “Raquel says your daughter has pictures of naked ladies under her bed?” Picasso, I think.)Third, I bought more books!We were fond of the "Smart About Art" series. Each book also features just one artist. We have 8 of those. These books are at a slightly higher reading level than the "Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Artists" books, but only very slightly. Colorful pages are even more eye popping than those in the "Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Artists" series.For Pablo Picasso and Leonardo da Vinci, the kids really liked the Ibi Lepscky books. The titles are the same as the authors’ names. The Picasso book is a particular favorite because of an image in which Picasso, devoid of art supplies as a child, paints his younger sister with egg yolk just before the family is due to leave for church services.Storybooks featuring the artists were always a big hit. I can specifically recommend the following to round out your curriculum:Laurence Anholt’s books feature a story in which the artist interacts with a child. There are vibrant images, but I wouldn’t count on these books alone to provide an education about any one artists. The books we own and love include:- Matisse: The King of Color- Cezanne and the Apple Boy- Degas and the Little Dancer- Camille and the Sunflowers- Leonardo and the Flying Boy- Picasso and the Girl with a Ponytail- The Magical Garden of Claude MonetAlso consider Anholt’s marvelous book Anholt’s Artists Activity Book.James Mayhew wrote an excellent series in which our girl Katie interacts not with the artists but with the subjects of the paintings! Outstanding storytelling, clever images. Again, these books are a great supplement to a homeschool art curriculum, but I would not use them as stand alone books. We own and love these:- Katie and the Sunflowers- Katie and the Mona Lisa- Katie and the British Artists- Katie and the Starry Night- Katie and the Spanish Princess- Katie Meets the ImpressionistsGood Luck and Happy Homeschooling!

This book, as well as all the other books in this series is a great introduction to both the artist and his artworks. An essential addition to any library (home, school or classroom.) In a day and age when fine arts programs are being slashed from our country's classrooms, these books are a great way to get children to be interested and informed.

I read this book with my daughter and we both enjoyed it. It's very clearly written, my daughter enjoyed it, and even though I know reasonable amount about Impressionism I too learned a lot

really good series. I bought 20 of them.

Great pictures and loaded with information that is easy for a 3rd grader to understand and enjoy learning about. Happy with this series.

I bought all of the books in this series for our homeschool art curriculum. They are easy to read and a fun supplement that can lead to a nice trip to the Smithsonian Gallery of Art.

My students enjoyed this book and the occasional comics inside were clevel.

"Occasionally, Renoir would paint landscapes and still lifes, but his favorite subjects were always people.", p. 29The young reader will learn about Renoir's birth in Limoges, France; his family's move to Paris when he was young; his early drawings using his tailor father's chalk; his working years in a workshop painting decorations on china; his learning the formal method of painting in the studio of Charles Gleyre; and his participation in the creation of the "Impressionism".Renoir was a rarity in that he was successful at painting in many styles. He was very versatile. Most painters lock themselves into a painting method and stick with it for awhile. All their paintings during that period of time use the same method. Renoir locked into what he painting and let it determine the method. If he were painting outdoors, he would choose impressionism with an emphasis on people having a good time more so than the outdoor setting. If he were doing a portrait, he would typically choose the older style but with less formality. His chose of method would be similar to a photographer choosing to use black and white film for certain shots and color film for others. Children are very sensitive to their surroundings. Their response can at time be instantaneous. They go with the moment and therefore will appreciate Renoir's similar approach.My favorite painting in the book is Renoir's "Umbrellas". He let the figures chose the method. He chose impressionism for the more formally attired, and he utilized a more formal method for the less formally dressed woman on errands with her basket.Venezia's illustrations are humorous. His narrative is delightfully entertaining. His approach brings the artist within reach of the young. His embellishment of the variety of surfaces on which the young Renoir chose to draw with chalk is creatively done.The size of the book is perfect for smaller hands. It enables the young to have art within their grasp. Venezia gives the locations of the paintings and as result if the child lives near one of the museums or will be near one on vacation, she/he would be able to see the original.This is the 20th in Venezia's "Getting to know the World's Greatest Artist" series. His series is a wonderful way for the young to be first introduced to the brilliance of artists. He also has a similar series on composers. Venezia's back cover illustration ties back to the subject. "While studying Renoir and the Impressionist movement of the 19th century, Mike was inspired to ...".The price of the book is well worth paying. Venezia includes pieces by the artist, pieces by the artist's colleagues and art styles referenced. The book contains the following: Renoir's paintings (16); Venezia's illustrations (6); Others' paintings (8) and paintings on a vase (1).