Woman with Grapevine, 2nd variant c. 1904 - 1919

Pierre-Auguste Renoir made this etching, Woman with Grapevine, at some point during his career. It's all about the mark-making here, right? He's using line to suggest form, volume, and even light and shadow. You can almost feel him searching for the right line, the one that will capture the curve of her back, the way the leaves of the grapevine overlap. And look at the texture he creates, the way the ink sits on the paper, sometimes thick and dark, sometimes thin and scratchy. It's like he's building up the image layer by layer, almost feeling his way through it. In the bottom left, the mark of the signature is so light, like a whisper. It reminds me a little of Manet, who also had this way of using line to create a sense of movement and spontaneity. Ultimately, it’s not about perfection or precision, but about the process of seeing and feeling and trying to capture something of the fleeting beauty of the world.