Pierre-Auguste Renoir - Gladioli

Gladioli (Glaïeuls), around 1885 - Pierre-Auguste Renoir, oil on canvas. Pierre-Auguste Renoir (Limoges, 1841 - Cagnes-sur-Mer, 1919) was a French Impressionist painter. This flower painting has an unusually personal history. In 1885 Renoir gave it to Dr. Hippolyte Latty in payment for medical services connected with the birth of his son Pierre. The gift turns a still life into a record of an important family event. The tall gladioli also gave Renoir a different compositional problem from the rounded bouquets he often painted. Its firmer organisation reflects his stylistic reassessment after Italy. The canvas carries a dedication in Renoir's hand: to Doctor Latty, in remembrance of friendship.