Strawberries 1914

Here we have Pierre-Auguste Renoir's painting, Strawberries, created with oil on canvas. The luscious texture is front and center here, an aesthetic that Renoir explored through his use of Impressionist painting techniques. Each stroke adds to the density of the image, giving the strawberries volume and presence. Notice the way that Renoir captures the light reflecting off the skins of the fruit, emphasizing their ripeness. This focus on texture, combined with the close perspective, invites us to engage with the strawberries as if they are objects of everyday life. The making of this painting involves a delicate negotiation between brushwork and composition. Renoir was engaged with the commercial market for paintings; his works were intended to be bought and sold. As such, still lifes like these were important in that they made visible the abundance of material culture. This focus on materials, making, and context, challenges traditional distinctions between fine art and craft, and allows us to understand the full meaning of a work.