Bidspirit auction | RENOIR PIERRE-AUGUSTE: (1841-1919) Renoir invites

RENOIR PIERRE-AUGUSTE: (1841-1919) Renoir invites Monet on a painting expedition - RENOIR PIERRE-AUGUSTE: (1841-1919) French Impressionist artist. A wonderful A.L.S., Renoir , two pages (written to the first and third sides of the bifolium), 8vo, Maison Perrette, La Chapelle St-Briac, Ille-et-Vilaine, n.d. (August 1886), to [Claude Monet] ( ´Mon cher ami´ ), in French. Renoir commences his letter by sending some news of mutual friends and colleagues, ´J´ai eu à peine le temps de causer avec Durand, il est arrivé du monde et Mirbeau, avec lequel nous avons bavardé de l´exposition. J´ai su cependant qu´il m´avait vendu différentes choses, entre autres le portrait de Mme. Clapisson, une femme nue accroupie et des fleurs je crois. Je suis parti brusquement sans avoir eu le temps de voir personne´ (Translation: ´I barely had time to chat with Durand before people started arriving, including Mirbeau, with whom we chatted about the exhibition. I did, however, learn that he had sold me various things, including the portrait of Mrs Clapisson, a crouching nude woman and some flowers, I believe. I left suddenly without having had time to see anyone´ ) and continues to add that he is now in a lovely spot, describing his surroundings and explaining his plans, ´Tous y est petit. Petites baies en masse avec jolies plages de sable, petits rochers insignifiants, mais la mer est superbe, il me semble que je regarde un plan en relief au musée de la Marine. Bref, c´est joli. Mais rien de grandiose. Cependant je crois que ce n´est pas perdre son temps de venir voir. J´ai une maison pour deux mois avec cinq ou six chambres pour nous deux. Si ça te tente et si tu veux venir, ne te gêne pas, rien de plus facile. J´ai vu encore peu de choses, j´ai des bateaux à ma porte et je me promets des promenades charmantes dans ces milles petites baies. C´est très curieux´ (Translation: ´Everything here is small. Lots of little bays with pretty sandy beaches, insignificant little rocks, but the sea is superb; it feels as though I’m looking at a relief map in the Maritime Museum. In short, it’s pretty. But nothing spectacular. However, I don’t think it’s a waste of time to come and see it. I’ve got a house for two months with five or six bedrooms for the two of us. If you fancy it and want to come, don’t hesitate—nothing could be easier. I haven’t seen much yet; there are boats right on my doorstep and I’m looking forward to lovely walks through these thousands of little bays. It’s very intriguing´ ), further stating that he will write again when he has looked around, ´Mais mon impression, c´est gentil. Dinard très joli, de jolis bateaux de pêche sur des fonds de verdure. En venant en chemin de fer, regarde la campagne aux environs de Laval, belle futaie et lacs. Je m´y arrêterai au retour´ (Translation: ´But my first impression is that it’s lovely. Dinard is very pretty, with lovely fishing boats set against a backdrop of greenery. If you come by train, take a look at the countryside around Laval—beautiful high forests and lakes. I’ll stop there on the way back´ ). In concluding Renoir again invites his friend to visit, ´Ne te gêne pas si tu veux voir, ça vaut la peine´ (Translation: ´Don’t hesitate to come and see it if you like; it’s well worth it´ ) and in a postscript once more refers to the sea, ´La mer ressemble plus à la Méditerranée qu´à la Manche. Elle est propre et très bleue au beau temps´ (Translation: ´The sea looks more like the Mediterranean than the English Channel. It’s clean and very blue in fine weather´ ). A letter of fine content and excellent association. A few very small, minor stains and a couple of neat splits to the upper and lower edges of the central vertical fold in the bifolium, otherwise VG Claude Monet (1840-1926) French Impressionist painter. Paul Durand-Ruel (1831-1922) French art dealer associated with the Impressionists and the Barbizon School, and an early champion of the artists Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Octave Mirbeau (1848-1917) French novelist and art critic, an admirer and close friend of Claude Monet. Renoir stayed at Maison Perrette in La Chapelle St-Briac for a period of two months during August and September of 1886, renting the house for a summer vacation with his partner (and future wife) Aline Charigot and their 18-month-old son, Pierre. Whilst staying at the property, Renoir painted his famous Scène de jardin en Bretagne, Saint-Briac , also known simply as In Brittany . The artwork depicts Aline and young Pierre sitting on a stone bench in the garden. During this same Breton stay, Renoir captured the local rural lifestyle in paintings like The Young Cowherd at Saint-Briac and The Return from the Fields. The artist´s 1886 trip is also significant as it marked a major turning point in Renoir's style. Moving away from the soft spontaneity of early Impressionism, he experimented with crisper outlines, precise underdrawings,