He Continued To Paint Despite Suffering From Severe RA

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) develops when the body's immune system attacks its own healthy cells. It's a long-term condition that primarily affects the joints, producing pain, stiffness, and edema. During the latter portion of his life, Pierre-Auguste Renoir suffered from severe RA. He could have contracted the sickness as early as 1892, when he was 50 years old. By 1903, the sickness had taken on a more aggressive form, and it only got worse as he got older. In 1912, he had a stroke that left him partially paralyzed in his arms and legs, forcing him to use a wheelchair. Renoir remained a prolific artist in his later years, despite his illness.

He used physical exercise to manage the sickness, despite the fact that it was not known at the time. He had a strong belief in walking and enjoyed playing billiards and bilbouquet, a tough French ball game. Apart from exercise, he relocated to the south of France, which has a milder environment. Renoir struggled to pick up and handle his brush due to increasing abnormalities in his hands. As a result, he requested that others repair the brush in his disfigured hands. Despite his crippled hands, he created more than 400 works of art in the last few years of his life, which is remarkable.