Seated Woman with Sea in the Distance c. 1917

Renoir painted this dreamlike reverie of a woman in a landscape using oil on canvas. The painting’s surface is alive with brushstrokes, a flurry of touches that give the whole thing a shimmering, almost mirage-like quality. He’s not trying to hide the process here; you can almost see him dabbing at the canvas, building up the image layer by layer. Take a look at the way the figure dissolves into the landscape; it’s as if she’s made of the same stuff as the trees and the grass, an earthy palette of pinks and greens, ochres and blues. Notice that single stroke of vibrant orange that defines the curve of her back. It's like a flame, a spark of life that animates the whole scene. This reminds me of the later work of someone like Bonnard, where the figure becomes one with the interior, a sort of haptic vision, not just seeing, but feeling the world. It’s not about capturing a likeness, but about capturing an experience.