Luigi Renault grew up in Italy near the sea and was encouraged as a small child to draw and paint ship portraits and the sea by his father, fellow marine artist Michele Renault, who later taught his son how to paint accurately ships as they came into and left Leghorn, Italy’s harbor areas. From an early age Luigi could paint detailed images of ships at sea and he sold drawings and small oils to villagers, sea captains and sailors at a teen.

Luigi lived and worked in Trieste and Leghorn, Italy and essentially spent his life painting accurate depictions of British, Italian and American ships entering or leaving Italian ports and he earned a lucrative living doing so.

Luigi was appointed marine artist to King Victor Emmanuel of Italy, and after that position was given to him, commissions for ship portraits came pouring in and his paintings of ships were purchased by wealthy merchants and collectors, and they are in many European museums and top marine collections.