Monsieur Cogniat describes Renoir as "the least intellectual of modern painters". His art only expresses his own "tender and affectionate nature".
He quotes a well-known sally, which may be apocryphal: "I consider my nude finished when I feel like smacking her bottom." Nevertheless, or in spite of some crude materialism perhaps reflecting the values of a typical art dealer, the author admits that much of Renoir's work appears to serve as a series of allegories on maternal love and juvenile grace.

This publication in a miniature Art series presents black and white illustrations as well as 15 color plates.