Paysage aux environs de Cagnes-Sur-Mer 1912 - 1913

This is Renoir's "Paysage aux environs de Cagnes-Sur-Mer," painted sometime in his life, with oil on canvas, a symphony of greens, yellows, and blues. Renoir wasn't trying to capture every detail of the scene. Instead, he was interested in the way the light flickered across the landscape. The paint is applied thinly, almost transparently in some areas, allowing the texture of the canvas to peek through. Look at the lower-left corner where touches of pink dance amongst the greens, giving a sense of warmth amidst the coolness of the landscape. The brushwork is loose and gestural, creating a sense of movement and energy. It feels like he's inviting us to participate in the act of seeing. In many ways, Renoir was the Matisse of his day, his focus on colour, light, and joie de vivre, feel very contemporary. Through paintings like this, Renoir reminds us that art is an ongoing conversation, a dialogue between artists across time.