Landscape with Trees 1886

Pierre-Auguste Renoir made this watercolor Landscape with Trees; the precise date is unknown. Watercolors involve a very direct process. Pigment is mixed with water and applied to paper, resulting in a translucent effect, layer upon layer. The immediacy of the process is key, as it allows artists to capture fleeting moments and sensations. Renoir’s work reflects a quickness, with colors blending wet-on-wet. The way he has loaded the brush and applied it to the page is a clear indication of his technique. The white of the page remains visible throughout the artwork. This adds to the painting’s sense of lightness and airiness. Although Renoir is not known for his works on paper, watercolor was often used by Impressionist artists to create studies for larger works. However, Landscape with Trees is not a study for a larger work, but a finished artwork, which has been exhibited in a museum. This is a reminder that the supposed hierarchy between art and craft is just a construct, and not necessarily how artists themselves see things.