Renoir was one of the leading Impressionist painters. He initially trained as a porcelain painter in Paris, but by 1858 he had dedicated himself to a career as an artist. He studied the masterpieces in the Louvre, and particularly admired Boucher. In the early 1860s he entered Charles Gleyre's studio, where he met Claude Monet, Alfred Sisley, and subsequently formed friendships with Camille Pissaro and Paul Cézanne. Renoir believed art did not have to tell a story, and through his encounters with the other artists, his brushwork became more broken and his palette lightened. Renoir mainly painted figures and his portraits were acclaimed at the Paris Salon. As a result of his visit to Italy in 1881 his work became more linear, using classic forms painted with great luminosity.
An influential style of painting that originated in France in the 1870s with artists such as Claude Monet, Pierre-August Renoir and Alfred Sisley. They were interested in capturing the changing effects of light, frequently exploring this through landscape scenes painted in the open air.