Reclining Nude (The Baker's Wife) 1902

Here we see Renoir’s Reclining Nude, or the Baker’s Wife, painted with oils on canvas. Look at the way the colours blend together, forming this sensual, almost tactile surface. You can almost feel the warmth of the sun on the subject's skin. I love how Renoir uses small brushstrokes, touches, to build up the form, layer upon layer. It's like he’s caressing the canvas, a real back and forth between the eye and the hand. Notice the gentle gradation of tones, especially in the flesh, from pale pinks to warmer ochres – it’s a dance of light and shadow that gives the figure a feeling of volume. Check out the way he's described the hair with soft, feathery marks. It reminds me of Fragonard, that same kind of playfulness and an interest in the body, pleasure, and the senses. Renoir's paintings have this open, unresolved quality, which is what makes them so alive, and so interesting to me.