Young Woman Seated on the Grass 1905

Renoir made this oil painting, Young Woman Seated on the Grass, at an undetermined date. Look at how the strokes are dabbed and swirled, almost like he’s knitting with paint. You can tell he’s not trying to hide the process; it’s all about the making. He’s really laying it on thick in parts, especially in the foliage around the figure, while the dress is much more thinly painted and scumbled. The overall effect is shimmery, like light flickering through leaves, even the shadows have a sense of warmth. Check out the face of the young woman, see how it’s barely defined? It's just a few strokes of pink and white, yet it suggests so much. It’s less about capturing a likeness and more about capturing a feeling. Renoir reminds me a bit of Fragonard, you know? That same sense of fleeting beauty, capturing the joy and sensuality of life, only with a slightly rougher edge. Ultimately this work is about capturing a moment, rather than pinning things down. It celebrates the transient nature of life and perception.