Woman with a Hat 

Pierre-Auguste Renoir created ‘Woman with a Hat’ using oil paint on canvas. The visible brushstrokes are key to the overall impression. Renoir laid down the paint in discrete, feathery marks. If you look closely, especially at the woman’s dress and the background, you can discern the individual touches that constitute the whole. These textures create a vibrant surface, an effect quite distinct from the smooth finish favored by academic painters of the time. The artist allowed the essence of his materials, like the weave of the canvas, to remain visible, thereby democratizing the painting. At this time, the readymade goods in fashion, like hats and lace, were starting to be made in factories, and becoming available to a wider segment of the population. Renoir’s painting democratizes aesthetics in a similar way, making this picture a product of its moment.