Bestselling author Susan Vreeland returns with a vivid exploration of one of the most beloved paintings in the world, Renoir’s Luncheon of the Boating Party.

Instantly recognizable, Auguste Renoir’s masterpiece depicts a gathering of his friends enjoying a summer Sunday on a café terrace along the Seine near Paris. An art collector, an Italian journalist, a war hero, a wealthy painter, a celebrated actress, and...

"The life of the great French painter, one of the founders of Impressionism, is narrated in lush comic art reminiscent of his style. From the Salon des Refuses ("Salon of the Rejected") and many struggling years without recognition, money and yet a family to raise, all the way to great success, critically and financially, Monet pursued insistently one vision: catching the light in painting, refusing to compromise on this ethereal pursuit. It cost...