Roses in a Vase 1917

Pierre-Auguste Renoir made this painting of Roses in a Vase with oil paint, and the brushwork is so alive. Imagine Renoir, squinting at his subject, trying to capture the softness and the light. Look how he's built up these roses with layers of buttery paint, pinks and yellows melding into each other. These are not just roses, they are a sensation. See how Renoir coaxes each petal into existence with a stroke of the brush. He builds these luminous forms that seem to glow from within. I bet he struggled with it. I can almost feel his frustration. What a painting offers us is a way of thinking through material. I find myself in conversation with Renoir, across time.