Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially feminine sensuality, it has been said that “Renoir is the final representative of a tradition which runs directly from Rubens to Watteau.”
This picture is closely related to Still Life: Flowers, 1885 (Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York), which depicts the same vase—with its distinctive elephant-head handles—and wood table or dresser. Featuring an autumnal bouquet and Cézannesque arrangement of prickly pears, the present still life was likely painted the same year, in the wake of a visit with Cézanne that summer. At this time, Renoir sought to combine the luminosity of Impressionism with a greater degree of classicism, prompting him to explore techniques that would emulate the dry, light colors of Italian frescoes, which have led to some surface cracks.
This picture is closely related to Still Life: Flowers, 1885 (Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York), which depicts the same vase—with its distinctive elephant-head handles—and wood table or dresser. Featuring an autumnal bouquet and Cézannesque arrangement of prickly pears, the present still life was likely painted the same year, in the wake of a visit with Cézanne that summer. At this time, Renoir sought to combine the luminosity of Impressionism with a greater degree of classicism, prompting him to explore techniques that would emulate the dry, light colors of Italian frescoes, which have led to some surface cracks.
Auguste Renoir - Still Life with Flowers and Prickly Pears
