French impressionist painters Henri Matisse and August Renoir were the closest of friends. Renoir’s health failed and the final decades of his life he was nearly paralyzed with arthritis. Yet, he continued to paint fighting tortuous pain with each movement and stroke of the brush. Matisse asked, “August why do you continue to paint when you are in such agony?” --- Renoir never looked up. His eyes were fixed on the canvas with complete concentration when he answered, “The beauty remains. The pain passes.”