Pêches et prune 1919

Pierre-Auguste Renoir made this painting of peaches and plums with oil on canvas using short brushstrokes and a warm, earthy palette. Imagine Renoir in his studio, circling around the canvas, squinting, and stepping back to assess. Those juicy peaches, rendered with such tenderness, contrast beautifully with the muted hues of the plums. It's like he’s playing with perceptions of ripeness and decay. Look closely at the individual strokes of paint – the texture of the canvas is almost palpable. The way Renoir layers colours, you can see the influence of artists like Delacroix, but also an embrace of his contemporaries like Monet. It’s as if he’s in a conversation with them, pushing and pulling at the boundaries of representation. It's also interesting that this painting isn't dated. I wonder when he made it? Perhaps at the end of a summer, when the fruit was at its best? Painters, you know, we're all just trying to figure things out together, one brushstroke at a time.