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Lot Essay
Claude Renoir was born in Essoyes on 4 August 1901. Renoir was then sixty years old and becoming a father at the autumn of his career brought him great joy and inspiration. He looked upon his infant son's health and growth as an affirmation of youth and life, for Renoir was now suffering from the ailments of old age.
The family lovingly nicknamed their youngest son Cloclo, which later became Coco. Almost immediately, he became Renoir's favorite model, replacing his elder brother Jean, who got his first haircut the year of Claude's birth. While long curls were in fashion for young boys in the late 1800s, Renoir was inspired to paint portraits of his children prior to their first haircut, in an effort to capture their childhood innocence. Once their tresses were cut, Renoir rarely used them as models. As Jean Renoir recalled, "It was while we were living in the rue Caulaincourt that my father had me pose for him most often. A few years later my brother Claude, who was seven years younger than I, was to take my place in the studio. Coco certainly proved one of the most prolific inspirations my father ever had". (J. Renoir, Renoir, My Father, New York, 1958, p. 364)
The family lovingly nicknamed their youngest son Cloclo, which later became Coco. Almost immediately, he became Renoir's favorite model, replacing his elder brother Jean, who got his first haircut the year of Claude's birth. While long curls were in fashion for young boys in the late 1800s, Renoir was inspired to paint portraits of his children prior to their first haircut, in an effort to capture their childhood innocence. Once their tresses were cut, Renoir rarely used them as models. As Jean Renoir recalled, "It was while we were living in the rue Caulaincourt that my father had me pose for him most often. A few years later my brother Claude, who was seven years younger than I, was to take my place in the studio. Coco certainly proved one of the most prolific inspirations my father ever had". (J. Renoir, Renoir, My Father, New York, 1958, p. 364)