Houses in a Park c. 1911

This is Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s 'Houses in a Park,' and it’s a real lesson in seeing how dabs of paint can trick your eyes into perceiving so much more. Renoir wasn’t trying to copy nature. Instead, he was improvising, using the brush like a jazz musician uses their instrument. The surface is a flurry of strokes, a mosaic of greens, yellows, and pinks, laid down with a playful touch. Look closely and you can almost see how the brush danced across the canvas, leaving little crumbs of color in its wake. Notice the blues in the sky that peek through the tree tops - they aren't just blues, but lilacs and greys too. It reminds me a bit of Monet's work, especially his studies of light and atmosphere, but Renoir brings a warmth and intimacy that’s all his own. It's about feeling, not just seeing. Art isn't about answers, but about opening up new ways of looking, feeling, and thinking.