The artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a French Impressionist who's early outdoor scenes depicted with sparkling colour and light conform closely to the Impressionist ideal. In later life he abandoned this approach and developed a softer and more supple kind of handling which is evident in his pictures of young girls in softly coloured settings. He is perhaps the best-loved of all the Impressionists for his cheerful subject matter - pretty children, flowers, lovely women - and their instant appeal.
