Falaise Verte Et Mer 1898

Pierre-Auguste Renoir made this oil painting, Falaise Verte Et Mer, using brushes, pigment and canvas. It wasn't just about materials, but about a new way of seeing the world, in his time. Think about how Renoir loaded up his brush with paint, creating quick, visible strokes. This emphasis on the materiality of paint was something new. Prior to this, in academic painting, every effort was made to hide the artist’s hand. The Impressionists were part of a shift towards celebrating the handmade and its imperfections. Their art was of, and about, the rise of a middle class with leisure time, who had the possibility to view landscape in a new way. What was once a place of work, now became a place of pleasure. By valuing the process, Renoir and his peers elevated craft to fine art, inviting us to consider how materials and techniques shape our understanding of the world.