Portrait of Madame Duberville with Her Son Henri 1910

Pierre-Auguste Renoir likely used oil on canvas to create this portrait, building it up with layers of delicate brushstrokes, and a delicious range of colors. Renoir’s brushwork captures light and shadow to create a sense of softness. He’s really able to create emotion using paint; the mother appears regal and poised while the child looks endearing and innocent. I can imagine Renoir, with his brush dancing across the canvas, trying to capture the fleeting expressions of his sitters. I keep thinking about those tender brushstrokes that shape the mother’s dress. There’s an amazing fluidity and movement to the paint application, like he’s using the paint to explore form, but also light, and the human experience. It’s like Renoir is in conversation with artists like Fragonard and Watteau. The way he represents the world is rooted in personal experience and observation. Painting is his means for understanding.