My great-grandfather’s philosophy was to paint only what was pretty,” says Alexandre Renoir, great-grandson of renowned Impressionist painter Pierre-alexandre renoir. “He thought there was enough ugliness in the world, so why add more?” And Alexandre carries on the tradition with his Impressionistic paintings that express the vibrancy and beauty of nature.

Just this past January, Alexandre presented his views on art at the Boca Raton Historical Society’s “A Royal Afternoon Tea” along with designer and author Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill, held in the Donald J. Trump Grand Ballroom at Mar-a-Lago.

To benefit the Society, he memorialized “Old Floresta,” one of Boca Raton’s most historic areas. “I love the quality of light, clay roofs and Old World influence in South Florida, probably because I am Mediterranean at heart,” Alexandre says.

From lush landscapes and serene gardens to vases of flowers, he pays homage to his heritage with his paintings and lithographs. “I paint in the Impressionist style because I like to involve viewers in the art. The viewer’s mind fills in the blanks,” Alexandre says.
Born in the French Riviera resort of Cagnes Sur Mer, home to Renoir’s museum, Alexandre was surrounded by the influence of his family legacy — literally and figuratively. “The extraordinary for other people was normal for me. I thought it was normal for everyone to have a 500-volume library about their great-grandfather,” he says.

Early on, Alexandre’s artistic inclinations led him to pursue an education at one of Canada’s leading arts secondary schools, Virginia Park School in Edmonton, and earn an undergraduate degree from Victoria School for the Arts and Performance in 1993. He then continued his studies in pottery, sculpture and crafts at the Alberta Museum of Aboriginal Arts and Crafts.
Interestingly, Alexandre’s career began in jewelry design but soon shifted to fine art. “I used to think, ‘What am I going to do with my life?’ Then, it finally occurred to me that my passion was painting. I would get completely lost in my work and not realize that 10 hours had passed,” he says.

Though Alexandre continues his great-grandfather’s artistic legacy, he does it with his own spin — using palette knives instead of brushes to apply color. “I like to build layers of paint. It has more substance and depth,” he says, adding “Renoir’s strokes are so characteristic that I can recognize areas of canvases in Monet’s paintings that he worked on.”

When it comes to collecting art, Alexandre offers this tip. “Buy what you love. Don’t buy something you don’t love just because you believe it’s a good investment,” he says. Easy for Renoir’s great-grandson to say.
For information on Alexandre’s work and upcoming exhibitions, call Onessimo Fine Art Gallery in Palm Beach Gardens at 561/355-8061; www.onessimofineart.com. Or, visit his website at www.alexandrerenoir.com.