Still Life Pomegranate, Figs and Apples 1915

Editor: Here we have Renoir’s "Still Life Pomegranate, Figs and Apples," painted in 1915. It’s an oil painting. The colors feel very warm, almost autumnal, but there's also something about the brushstrokes that makes it feel unfinished, like a fleeting glimpse. What strikes you most about this piece? Curator: Oh, fleeting is the perfect word! For me, it’s that sense of almost wanting to *bite* into the fruit! The way he layers the colors... It’s like catching the exact moment sunlight hits a piece of fruit on a late summer afternoon. A real feast for the eyes and...dare I say... the tastebuds? It is so suggestive, don’t you think? Does it hint to you at maybe the artist's own delight and joy? Editor: I see what you mean, there's definitely a vibrant, almost joyful energy. I hadn't really connected it to a specific moment in the day, more like an impression of fruit itself. It's funny, I usually find still lifes kind of boring. But Renoir’s use of light makes the ordinary feel special. Curator: Boring? Never! Though, I’d grant you that there are *bad* still lifes. Here, that shimmer on the fruit! That blending of colors makes it feel almost… alive! Remember he was pretty ill at this point, so I wonder, too, if he saw and rendered with increased poignancy and clarity, the world immediately within his view? This humble collection before him, and the joy he could coax from it in paint! Editor: That makes a lot of sense. Seeing the fruits as almost an extension of Renoir’s own life force. I’m rethinking my stance on still lifes right now! Thanks! Curator: You are quite welcome, it also makes me wonder, now: What other overlooked forms are worth our closer attention, our affection and gratitude? Hmmm…