Still Life with Fish 1913

This still life with fish was painted by Renoir sometime around 1918. Look at how the paint is applied: layers upon layers of thin, translucent glazes. Imagine Renoir in his studio, brush in hand, carefully building up these colors, one stroke at a time. I can almost feel what it was like for him to make this. The way he captures the silvery sheen of the fish scales, the subtle gradations of color from deep reds to pearly whites... He must have been so attuned to the nuances of light and color, patiently observing how they played across the surface of his subjects. He wasn't just painting fish; he was painting the experience of seeing, feeling, and being in the world. You can see he was in conversation with other painters, and that he, in turn, has sparked countless conversations of his own. That’s what painting is, a continuation, a remix, a constant give-and-take.