Inspiring Story of Renoir

In old age, Pierre Auguste Renoir, the great French painter, suffered from arthritis, which twisted and cramped his hands. Henri Matisse, his artist friend, watched sadly while Renoir, grasping a brush with only his fingertips, continued to paint, even though each movement caused stabbing pain.

One day, Matisse asked Renoir why he persisted in painting at the expense of such torture.

Renoir replied, "The pain passes, but the beauty remains."

As told in Philokalia: The Bible of Orthodox Spirituality by Anthony M. Coniaris