Renoir
Pierre Auguste Renoir was a late nineteen- century French impressionist painter whose works were often ridiculed throughout his life, because of his sensuous celebration of women and nature. He was considered to be one of the most famous artists of his generation, due to his representation sensuality and pleasure in his paintings. When his paintings were first exhibited, they were considered to be shocking and culturally taboo, however after time society became more accepting of Renoir's style and his work overall. "The Apple Seller" painted in 1890, which is now showcased at the Cleveland Museum of Art. The painting depicts a commercial transaction between a peasant woman and an upper class woman and her children. Throughout this paper I will describe the formal properties of this painting such as composition, line and color, texture, space and volume and use of light. The painting as a triangular composition, containing all four figures, they are in turn drawn together within a harmonious ensemble. The painting itself depicts an older peasant woman selling fruit to what seems to be a middle class woman and her children. The painting is set deep in the forest, where the mother and her children are enjoying a pleasa
Renoir's color range on the painting is strictly earth toned, with minimal use of black and white. The background tone is very light, the middle ground has a neutral value, and the foreground is very dark. The darkness of the peasant relates to her impoverished social status of being in servitude to the higher classed woman and children beaming with light and happiness. The figures clothing such as the peasants shirt and the older woman's dress, have good contrast of color which also creates a sense of volume. The use of light radiates the bliss of the mother and her children. Incidentally, this creates the effect of a personal link between the viewer and the figures in the painting. In much of the painting the space seems very flat and lacking of volume. The perspective seems to be incorrect, which loses the viewer in the space in front of them. The color being very bold contradicts the serenity of the composition itself. The color and line are both a very bold issues within the context of this painting. The peasant woman is depicted in plain clothing by using very dull colors; on the other hand the wealthier woman is painted in more vibrant colors to describe her social status. This in turn reinforces the meaning of the composition of social strife between the classes. The mother and children have almost a snobbish feel to them, which emphasizes the clash of the two classes shown in the painting. The peasant being in shadow represents her melancholy mood. In my opinion, the depiction of the space on the canvas is very weak.
Common topics in this essay:
Museum Art,
Auguste Renoir,
woman children,
Apple Seller,
mother children,
peasant woman,
space volume,
mother children peasant,
painting depicts,
class woman children,
meaning composition,
color line,
front painting,
darkness peasant,
children peasant,
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