By Hilton Kramer 11/24/03 12:00am

France Shows Off Its Favorite Genre:Sex and Ironing

French painting from the 18th century is justly famous for its preoccupation with the pursuit of earthly privileges and pleasures. It abounds in delightful scenes of luxuriant luncheon parties, well-equipped pastoral outings, displays of sexual dalliance and sundry other pleasurable pastimes. Indeed, we’re sometimes made to feel that in the era preceding the “deluge” of Read More

By Hilton Kramer 10/27/97 12:00am

At Last, They Go Wild For Renoir’s Portraits

Writing about the Impressionist master Pierre Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) nearly half a century ago, the Italian critic Lionello Venturi spoke of “the surprise continually caused by his huge number of pictures and the disappointment frequently experienced by persons looking at his pictures for the first time-a disappointment which always ends, however, in a victory for Read More