After Bathing, Seated Female Nude 

Pierre-Auguste Renoir's 'After Bathing, Seated Female Nude' presents us with a composition dominated by soft, fleshy tones and fluid brushwork. The seated nude, turned away from the viewer, melds seamlessly with the surrounding environment, an effect achieved through a unity of color and texture. The painting dissolves clear boundaries between the figure and the background. Renoir's approach can be understood through a formalist lens as an exploration of the intrinsic qualities of painting. The dissolution of form challenges traditional academic values that prioritised line and precise figuration. The figure is constructed through color and light, with a focus on surface and sensation rather than anatomical accuracy. The composition may be seen as a play between concealment and revelation. What is revealed is not just the nude but also the very act of painting itself, with brushstrokes visible. The interplay of light and shadow across the skin, with loose brushstrokes, invites ongoing interpretation, questioning conventional modes of representation and inviting us to reconsider the material and conceptual possibilities inherent in painting.