A Tale of Two Artists | Renoir's Lasting Influence

VIEW AUCTION     REQUEST A VALUATION     CONTACT A SPECIALIST

With this bronze relief, we witness an exceptional collaboration of two great artists.

Based on a drawing by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, the imagery of the cast bronze will be a familiar one to those who know their classics. This is the moment that triggered the epic war of Troy, defined the Greco-Roman mythological past and was to be of great influence to numerous philosophical and artistic minds. Here we see Paris, the young prince of Troy, handing the golden apple "To the fairest one," of the three goddesses, Hera, Athena and Aphrodite. Among the goddesses’ tempting promises: political power, military success, or great romance, Paris surrendered in front of love to the most beautiful woman - Helen. Renoir’s short, quick, loose lines as well as his intuitive, emotive manipulations of form (shown in the chalk drawing below) capture the tension of this dramatic moment.

^{Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons}

As a work of his later period, the small-breasted, long-waisted, big-hipped design of the goddesses were nothing like the traditional idealised classic type. The smooth lines curve the goddesses’ naked bodies, which were usually covered with armour or classic clothing. This together with the statuesque positions and the dynamic interactions between the figures,  shows Renoir’s creativity and dynamism.

^{Richard Guino (French, 1890-1973), after Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 'Judgement of Paris', bronze, with a bronze patina, signed 'Renoir' l.r. 32cm wide, 4.5cm deep, 25.5cm high, on base 32cm high overall. (£10,000-15,000)}

Renoir suffered from rheumatoid arthritis and became incapable of holding sculpting tools. Unable to mould clay or chip at stone, he worked with the young Richard Guino to fulfil his new passion for sculpture in later life. Under strict supervision of the master, the younger man executed the artist's conceptions. So successful was this collaboration that the sculptures have the qualities of Renoir’s style.-

Born in 1890, Richard Guino was a French sculptor of Catalan origin. He studied at the Art School of Girona at a very young age and left in 1906 to follow the courses of the Superior School of Fine Arts in Barcelona, where Pablo Picasso's father was one of his teachers. His talent was soon discovered by the French sculptor Aristide Maillol who took him to Paris as his assistant and introduced him to Renoir. A collaborative partnership then began between then between the young sculptor and the old painter which can be seen in the present lot. ‘The Judgement of Paris’ combines classicism and modernity and is an excellent example of the joining of minds of two master artists.

Tuesday 17 October | 10am

pictures@sworder.co.uk | 01279 817778

VIEW AUCTION