Woman Leaning 1918

Pierre-Auguste Renoir made ‘Woman Leaning’ with oil paint, probably alla prima, meaning wet-on-wet, maybe in one go. I can imagine him in a flurry of strokes, conjuring up the model and flowers in front of him. The whole thing has a rose-tinted glow. Everything's a bit soft, like he's trying to capture a fleeting moment. He’s really thinking about light and how it makes things look. You know, when you squint and things get fuzzy but also kinda more intense? That’s what Renoir’s doing here. The way he renders the woman’s skin is really beautiful, like he is caressing her with paint. I wonder if he was in love with her? Renoir’s got this distinctive way of smudging and blurring lines, which links him to other impressionists like Monet and Degas. They were all obsessed with capturing the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere, and I love how they kept pushing the boundaries of what painting could do. They were talking to one another through painting. So good.