Auguste Renoir - The port of Rochelle 1896

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From Sotheby's:
The present work is a beautiful rendering of the picturesque port of La Rochelle on France's west coast. Renoir depicts one of the towers which guard the entrance to the harbour bringing to the scene the saturated colour more often associated with his paintings of the Mediterranean. In this period Renoir was travelling widely, seeking out new subjects and clearly the lively harbour with its brightly coloured fishing boats appealed to him.
In the present work we also see the influence of the long line of French artists whose classical style of painting was central to Renoir's art throughout his life. The influence of Claude Lorraine is particularly evident here, both in terms of subject matter and atmosphere. While the work captures Renoir's avant-garde edge, it likewise remains consistent in depicting him as a 'faithful priest of the art which is immortal because it is the earthly reflection of eternal divine beauty (Nicholas Wadley, Renoir: a Retrospective, New York, 1987, p. 277)

The acrobat Miss La La caused a sensation when she performed at the Cirque
Fernando in Paris. Here she is shown suspended from the rafters of the circus
dome by a rope clenched between her teeth. Edgar Degas sought out such
striking modern subjects, concentrating on figures in arresting poses. In January
1879 he make a series of drawings at the Cirque Fernando including a pastel
study of Miss La La - art-Degas.com

Absinthe may have significantly contributed to Van Gogh's poor health.
When he lived in Paris, absinthe was a popular drinks among artists.
Paul Signac commented that Van Gogh drank steadily drinks of brandy
following drinks of absinthe. By the time Van Gogh left Paris he was in
very poor health and known to say to a friend that drinking and smoking
left him "seriously sick at heart and in body and nearly an alcoholic."
- art-vanGogh.com

art-Renoir.com

Auguste Renoir 1841-1919