Cheryl (boomerbooklover) - reviewed on 4/8/2022 + 431 more book reviews

I originally got this book for my sister, who majored in art and has seen this painting at a Boston exhibit. I recently read it and was somewhat surprised that I truly enjoyed it. Well researched, it tells the story of how the artist (Renoir) unable to pay for multiple models, collected various friends and acquaintances to pose for this painting over a series of Sundays afternoons. After a lot of flipping back and forth from the text to the cover, I made a short list of the participants and drew a map of sorts of who is where in the painting, but after a while realized it is not necessary to know all this to enjoy the story. Gave the book to my sister recently and she is eager to read it. I know she will get more out of it than I did, but even if you aren't an artsy person, you can enjoy this book. A very entertaining story about the masterpiece of an artist who felt there was enough sadness and suffering in the world, so tried to paint pretty, happy pictures.

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