A talented community in today’s art world has historic ties to renowned Twentieth Century artists. Two descendants, Alexandre Renoir and Leila Pissaro exhibited at the Los Angeles Art Show this weekend and shared their latest works as well as insights into the creative process.
Leila Pissaro presented her painting work in a traditional artist’s book of images called “The Colours of Silence.” Alexandre Renoir showed how he has levered his talent for learning from other artists including Pissaro. The brilliant results are a distinctive style that is finding a global audience.
Alexandre Renoir has innovated a novel “wet-on-wet” painting technique that requires painting quickly and intensely before the paint dries. This technique produces vivid colors and contrasts that create dazzling landscape and floral compositions. Renoir’s approach to painting has two notable advantages. First, the thickly textured paintings reflect different kinds of light differently, just like the landscapes they portray. Second, the technique of painting on a wet canvas is so complex that it is difficult to imitate and makes Alexandre Renoir’s works stand out from a distance at a large exhibition like the Los Angeles Art Show.
Alexandre Renoir is the great-grandson of French Impressionist artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir, whose later works were featured by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in a 2010 special exhibition. Most of the Renoir family have continued the tradition of working in creative professions. That helped start Alexandre Renoir on his path of learning from other artists, but that was also just the beginning. Renoir describes his professional development as dedication to continuous learning, a trait he sees as essential for long-term success. “Your brain is like a muscle. You have to exercise to stay strong.”
Alexandre Renoir studied at the Victoria School for the Arts and Performance in British Columbia, Canada and graduated twenty years ago. Now he also teaches art himself. But he particularly values painting together with other artists who have complementary styles as an excellent way to learn. He also recommends keeping up with advances in technology and has incorporated his camera smartphone into his painting completion template. He also lets himself be inspired by the next generation and invites young cretive talents to painting parties with his own son Felix.
You can see several recent landscapes by Alexandre Renoir locally at the elegant Galerie Michael in Beverly Hills. Select works are also displayed on the liners of Princess Cruises.
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