Flowers in a Vase 1878

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, a key figure in the French Impressionist movement, likely painted Flowers in a Vase in the late 19th century. It is painted with oil on canvas. Although seemingly simple, still lifes such as this one reflect the changing social and economic landscape of France. As urban life flourished, the art market grew. Paintings like this one, bought by an emerging bourgeoisie, adorned their homes as a display of taste and affluence. Renoir, like other Impressionists, distanced himself from the academic art sanctioned by institutions like the École des Beaux-Arts. Instead, he embraced a more direct and personal expression. To fully appreciate this painting, one might investigate the commercial nurseries and floral shops that were becoming increasingly popular, catering to a new demand for domestic adornment. Delving into such social and economic shifts helps us understand the very conditions that enabled Renoir, and indeed, this painting, to exist.