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I'm a native French speaker and the following is translated from French:

A production still in which the beauty of the natural elements and colours evoke the Renoir of A Day in the Country (1936) and Picnic on the Grass (1959).

This is indeed something you can say in French: a person's name is preceded by the definite article and followed by an indication of "context" (here: two films directed by Jean Renoir), meaning Renoir's style as can be appreciated in those works, or the way Renoir would do things at the time.

The English translation (not mine) is literal and doesn't sound correct to me. Could you give me your opinion (and ideas to improve it)?

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  • I had to read it twice. I would like a comma: A production still,
    – mplungjan
    Jun 20, 2013 at 11:27

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This is fine. It has the connotation you describe - the Renoir as exemplified by those works.

An alternative "...evoke Renoir's A day..." would be possible, but would suggest these two specific works, rather than the group of works of similar style.

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    Articles (the, a, an) can be used with proper nouns in some cases where referring to a particular instance or example of that noun.
    – TrevorD
    Jun 20, 2013 at 12:18
  • Or, as here I believe, a particular incarnation (cf 'the young Turner').
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Jun 20, 2013 at 19:19

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