Deux Pommes 1915

Pierre-Auguste Renoir painted ‘Deux Pommes’ with oil on canvas, using techniques rooted in the traditions of fine art. The materiality here influences the appearance, look at how the dabs of paint create texture, weight, color, and form. It's easy to overlook how much labor goes into a painting like this. Renoir would have had to prime the canvas, mix his paints, and carefully apply each brushstroke to build up the image. The visible brushwork gives the painting an immediacy, a sense of the artist's hand at work. This emphasis on the process of creation is a hallmark of Impressionism, a departure from the highly polished surfaces of academic painting. Renoir’s work reflects a tension between industrial modes of production and the individual craftsman's touch. The act of painting, then, can be seen as a form of labor. Looking closely at the materials and making of 'Deux Pommes' gives us a richer understanding of Renoir's artistic vision and its relationship to broader social and economic contexts.