Renoir was an Impressionist painter born in France to a working class family. His work over the course of his life was a reflection of his experience in a porcelain factory where his drawing talents led him to be chosen to paint designs on fine china. In 1862, he trained with Charles Gleyre in Paris and exhibited his first painting at the Paris Salon in 1864.

At the first Impressionist exhibition in 1874, Renoir exhibited six of his paintings achieving fame and notoriety. Plagued with arthritis, Renoir continued to paint during the last years of his life, even when it limited his movement.

After a trip to Italy in 1881, Renoir changed styles and returned to a more classical approach to painting. After 1890, he changed direction again, returning to the use of thinly brushed colour which dissolved outlines as in his earlier work. Renoir was a prolific artist, producing several thousand paintings, many of which are exhibited at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris.

He passed away in 1919.