Nude with Castanets 1918

Renoir made this "Nude with Castanets" with oil paints, and you can really see the process in the finished work. It’s like he’s inviting you to watch him figure it out. The surface is so alive, full of visible brushstrokes. Look at the lower left leg; see how the rosy paint seems to dance and flicker? It's like he’s trying to capture the warmth of the skin, the play of light, rather than just copying what he sees. The colors are soft, pinks and yellows that glow. Renoir doesn't try to hide the brushwork; instead, it's like he’s saying, "Here's the magic, right in the paint itself." Renoir reminds me a bit of Fragonard, with his focus on pleasure and beauty, but his looser brushwork feels very modern. He lets the painting breathe, embraces the incomplete. What does the figure mean? You decide!