Le Jardin Des Collettes 1909

This is Le Jardin Des Collettes by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, painted with oil on canvas. Look how Renoir builds the image with short, broken brushstrokes. It’s all about capturing the feeling of light and air as a process. There’s a real sense of immediacy in the paint application here. The colors are blended wet-on-wet, creating soft, hazy edges. I’m particularly drawn to the way Renoir renders the foliage. Instead of painting each leaf individually, he uses these quick, dab-like strokes to suggest the overall texture and density of the trees. The paint is relatively thin, allowing the canvas to peek through in places, which adds to the painting’s luminosity. Renoir’s approach reminds me a little of late Turner, in the way he dissolves form into pure color and light. But where Turner is all about drama, Renoir is more interested in capturing the simple pleasures of everyday life. It is this sensitivity to fleeting moments and the beauty of the natural world that makes Renoir’s work so enduring.