"One of the most renowned Impressionist painters, Renoir was known for his exuberant joie de vivre. His paintings are suffused with this enthusiasm and reflect his belief in reveling in the enjoyable basics that life has to offer - wine, beautiful women, music, and especially food. Spellbound by the life and works of Renoir, the authors have re-created, in his spirit, the art of living and dining with style." "Renoir's Table provides a fascinating and unique insight into the turn-of-the-century lifestyle of this celebrated Impressionist. A richly detailed picture of Renoir's private world, it invites us to share the culinary delights of an artist who loved to eat as much as he loved to paint." "Alongside a selection of Renoir's much-loved paintings we have gastronomic "portraits": from Bouillabaisse Provencale to Potage Crecy, Chicken Renoir, and Baked Tomatoes Cezanne, made especially by Madame Renoir for a visit from the artist to her home. Each recipe is taken from an authentic contemporary source, re-creating the feel of turn-of-the-century Paris." "The cast of characters in this bohemian life includes some of the most gifted people of the day, such as Zola, Manet, and Cezanne. They are all detailed with loving recall; their stories taken from contemporary letters, particularly from Jean Renoir's memoirs, which invoke the heady, pleasure-seeking lifestyle that epitomizes this fascinating era." "Beautifully illustrated with sumptuous reproductions of Renoir's paintings, archival photographs of the artist and his friends and family, and spectacular original full-color photographs re-creating his city life in Paris, his summertimes in Essoyes, his retreat in Cagnes, and the finished dishes, this is the ideal gift to delight both the gourmet and the lover of art and history."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved