Femme nue assise vue de trois-quarts 1915 - 1919

Pierre-Auguste Renoir made this painting, *Femme nue assise vue de trois-quarts*, using oil on canvas, and it’s all about the joy of color, right? A symphony of pinks, greens, and yellows, all dancing together. You can almost feel him letting the brush lead the way, one stroke suggesting the next. The surface has this soft, almost fuzzy quality, like he's trying to capture not just what he sees, but how it feels. The way he builds up the form of the figure with these little touches of color, it’s like he’s gently coaxing her into being. Look at how the light catches the curve of her back and how the strokes build up around her shoulder. It’s painterly, sure, but it’s also so tender. Renoir, like his contemporary Monet, felt like painting was all about capturing a fleeting moment, and the way he paints, it feels like he's leaving room for the unexpected, for the mystery of the world to seep in.