Woman in a Red Blouse 1908

This painting of a woman in a red blouse was made by Renoir, probably in his studio with oil on canvas, and it looks like he was really feeling the color. The red is so warm, it’s like a hug, but it’s also kind of intense, right? I bet he was trying to get that skin tone just right. It's that dance you do with the paint when you’re trying to get the color to glow. I am feeling the way the edges of the figure kind of dissolve into the background - the painting is less about precision and more about feeling. The whole painting is like a soft focus lens. I think that's the impressionist thing, you know? It makes me wonder if he ever felt like he was wrestling with it or if it all just flowed out of him like that. Anyway, Renoir was part of a whole gang of painters doing their thing, pushing each other, stealing ideas, and riffing off each other’s moves, kind of like how we all do it now.