Benjamin-Marie-Albert André began his career by surrounding himself with the great impressionist painters of his time; Paul Cézanne, Louis Valtat, Henry Bataille and most significantly, Pierre-August Renoir.  Over the past years, André developed his own unique style that set him apart from his contemporaries.  He identified himself with the Post-Impressionists and place greater emphasis on form and content than on surface appearance.  Post-Impressionism was both an extension of Impressionism and a rejection of its limitations.  Many Post-Impressionists continued using vivid colors, thick application of paint, distinctive brushstrokes and real-life subject matter, but they were more inclined to emphasize geometric forms to distort form for expressive effect, and to use unnatural or arbitrary color.  Other Post-Impressionists like André attempted to show the world as it actually is.  André channeled this concept with his unpretentious appreciation of the simplest things of everyday life and of nature, a quality also found in the paintings of his old friend, Renoir.  André compiled two books on Renoir that expressed his admiration for Renoir's inspiration to paint what was around him.