By Barb Kachelski, CAE
Not long ago, I would have said Pierre-Auguste Renoir had little in common with today's credit unions. So learning about the last three decades of his life at the Philadelphia Museum of Art was an eye-opening experience in more ways than one.
During this period, Renoir, like credit unions today, was faced with challenges. He was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Doctors recommended he move to an area with a different climate. His response was inspiring. He not only adapted to the changed environment, he took advantage of the new setting in a series of landscapes
As his physical condition deteriorated, he made a tough choice. He said, "I can either walk or paint" since each required so much of his stamina. He narrowed his focus on painting.
He continued to adapt, adjusting his surroundings to his limited physical ability. Since some of his paintings were too large to paint from a wheelchair, he had an apparatus designed to allow the canvas to move within his reach.
While he's best known for his paintings, he also was a gifted sculptor. As this became too physically difficult, Renoir collaborated, working with someone whose capabilities complemented his own. Renoir would guide and direct a sculptor who would work with him. The sculptor then would cast the large statues. I found it fascinating that some of the statues were cast years after Renoir's death, and his partner placed both their names on the finished product.
In this same three-decade era, Renoir's oldest two sons served in World War I, both sustaining injuries. His wife died. All in all, this could have been viewed as a terrible time in the artist's life.
What struck me was that Renoir did not view it as a terrible time at all. He was grateful for the end of the war, and his self-declared most beautiful painting was a celebration of this event. He believed that this was the era when he "learned to paint." And he left a legacy the museum honored with paintings of young artists he inspired: Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso and Pierre Bonnard.
I believe if credit unions make tough choices, continue to adapt, and collaborate we can look back and be proud that today's leaders faced challenges and made a long-lasting impact. Just like Renoir.
Barb Kachelski, CAE, is SVP/chief operating officer for CUES.
Read another art-inspired post by Barb.
