Sketch of a Woman 1916

This is a sketch of a woman, by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and it looks like it’s made with oil paint on canvas. The way the strokes of color blend and dance across the surface makes me think about how much painting is just a process of feeling and responding. Looking closely, the paint seems pretty thin and washy, especially in the background foliage, but then it thickens around the figure’s hands. The way Renoir scumbles the paint, dragging it lightly across the canvas, it’s almost like he’s not trying to describe the actual surface of skin, but more like a memory or a feeling. There’s a beautiful blurriness that gives the image a dream-like quality. I love how the reds and greens kinda vibrate against each other, creating this luminous atmosphere. I’m reminded of the later paintings of Monet, where he’s also chasing these fleeting moments of light and color, trying to capture something that’s always just beyond our grasp. Art is a constant conversation across time. I think it’s important to realize that fixed meanings don't really exist.